Would you like Maple Syrup on that?
by Misuzu715
Summary: Matt has always been alone, no one remembers his name, no one cared. This was until his brother threw a party. LudwigXMatthew, and more. Rated M for later chapters. yaoi, lemons, little bit of cursing
1. Al's Party

Ludwig X Matthew

Matthew shuffled to his bed with a small novel in his hand, wearing a white T-shirt and his favorite red and white maple leaf boxers. It was only six but he figured he should go to sleep early before his phone started ringing. His brother was throwing a party and, no surprise here, Matt had not been invited. Every time Alfred threw a party, he got drunk and never failed to call a prank.

Matthew put the book on the small bedside table along with his glasses, clicked out the lamp, crawled into bed and snuggled under the thick pile of blankets. It was always cold in his house, and that suited him just fine. Pulling the blanket over his head, something suddenly dawned on him.

He was thinking back as far as he could remember. He couldn't think of one single time. Not once. Beginning to cry now, Matthew thought about how he'd never been truly happy. Fine time to be thinking this! Alone in his big house…He pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them and rested his chin on his knees as he sobbed.

As quickly as the tears came, they disappeared. Crying won't do any good, he'd found that out early on in life. All it succeeded in doing was upsetting him more. He wiped his eyes and curled up against his fluffy pillows. "Stupid Alfred…It's not fair…Throwing a big party and not even inviting his brother…Never even remembers-" He sniffled. "Over half the time he doesn't even remember my name!" Gradually, his sadness turned to anger. "Oh, maple!" He threw the blankets off and stormed down to the basement. Every step of the way, cursing his brother, the cold, the box he just stubbed his toe on. He cursed everything he could think of.

Matthew stomped down the stairs, flicked on the light, punched the wall next to the light switch, deepening the dent that was already there, and cursed his throbbing hand. He stormed to the back of the finished basement and turned on the light there.

There were four huge holes in the wall where he had kicked it, and one from when he smashed his head through. There was an old, broken freezer laying on its side, its sides and door all kicked in, and a severely beaten, duct taped sandbag hanging from a chain from the ceiling.

He _had_ to find a better way to release his anger.

Another time though.

Right now he needed to punch something.

Hard.

Matt passed by the freezer, resisting the urge to kick it and went straight to the sandbag. Hit after hit after hit, he could hear a ripping as the duct tape began to peal off. A while ago, he had popped open one of its seams and spilled sand all over the floor. After he had calmed down, he took the sandbag, then almost empty, and had tried to sweep the sand up and put it back in. Then he duct taped it. It had lost a chunk of its mass and there was still sand on the floor, even now.

Matthew continued to curse under his breath as he hit it so hard it almost hit the ceiling. As it swung down, the chain broke and it fell to the floor with a loud 'thump.'

He stood there for a while, back arched, shoulders tense, fists tight, breath ragged. He collapsed to the floor in tears.

Always, _always_ when he realized just how alone he was, he began to cry, then he thought of his brother which always made him angry. When he finished with the poor sandbag he always cried again. He hated the violent urges he got when he was angry. He was becoming like his brother. He hated it.

This had become a cycle that he repeated more and more often.

Cry. Rage. Punch. Cry.

Matt pulled himself up, vision blurred by tears. He calmed down considerably as he hobbled past the fallen freezer, kicked it, and then continued to the stairs. He only just lifted his foot to go up when he was hit by another wave of sobs that shook his whole body. He fell to the floor and curled up into a ball.

Crying didn't solve anything. Didn't make things better. Just made him feel worse. But what it did do, and he counted on this, was help him get to sleep.

He looked up at the wall clock. Almost nine.

Suddenly his entire body ached. Shoulders. Arms. Hands. Fingers.

Pain shot from his finger tips all the way to his spine. He was shaken by another fit of sobs, crying for what seemed like hours.

The last thing Matt heard before passing out was the phone ringing.


	2. An unexpected visitor

Matthew woke up cold. Very cold. Shivering, he lifted his head up and looked around. The basement. He couldn't understand. What was he doing down there? More importantly, what was he doing down here in just his boxers? Matt looked up at the clock. Almost six. "I s-spent th-th-the whole n-n-night d-d-down here? S-s-s-so c-c-c-c-cold…"

He had a lot of difficulty getting up. Every muscle in his body was sore from sleeping on the cold floor and his arms and shoulders hurt so much he could barely move them. "Oh, m-maple!" Looking at his cold, shaky hands made him remember what had happened the night before. His fingers were bruised and his knuckles had bled, now caked with dried blood.

Matthew walked toward the back of the basement. The sandbag, lying on its side on the floor had blood on it. Obviously his own. That was the hardest he'd ever attacked it…_I was **that** angry…_ He pressed the duct tape back in place then turned off the back light and headed for the stairs. He turned the light off at the top and closed the door behind him.

It was a bit warmer up here than in the basement, but still cold. He still couldn't stop shivering.

He turned to go up the second set of stairs to his room. He made it up two steps before he heard something, or maybe thought he did. Standing absolutely still he listened. There it was again. A shuffling sound. As noiselessly as he could, Matthew snuck closer to the sound. He was no longer tired, could move swiftly despite sleeping in the cold and his rigorous assault on the sand bag the night before. The adrenaline started by fear let him move quickly and painlessly. His blood was roaring in his ears. Heart pounding in his chest.

_The front door…_ Mathew held his hands out in front of him, ready to fight or defend himself against an intruder. He slipped quietly and quickly to the front door. It was closed, but unlocked. Then again, Matthew frequently forgot to lock his door, living in such a quiet neighborhood will do that to you.

Again came the shuffling. Matt's attention was whipped toward the closest room. The kitchen. In the corner next to the table, there was a person curled up facing the wall. He stepped closer so he could see, having left his glasses in his room. A man. Short, blond hair. Broad back.

Matthew inched closer and saw his shoulders shifting slowly with his soft breathing. The man shifted, rolling over so he faced Matt. His eyes closed, he had a peaceful look on his face. "I-…I know you…" Slowly, he lowered his hands, fatigue again pushing down on him. Matthew knelt down next to the large man and shook his shoulder. "Hey. Hey, wake up! What're you doing in my house?" The man didn't budge. He knew this man, but couldn't match a name to his face. Matt pushed his hair back and suddenly remembered. "Ludwig is his name…"

Ludwig yawned and shifted again, his jacket making a shuffling noise. Matt pulled him up to sit up. Slumped over, the larger blond man slept on. "He's kinda…" the thin Canadian smiled as his cheeks flushed pink. "Ah! No!" he slapped his hand against his forehead. "No, don't think about that."

He pulled Ludwig's arm over his shoulder and lifted him up, his arms and shoulders burning. He may be smaller than his brother, but he wasn't weak. He dragged the larger man to the couch in the living room and laid him down. He went to the front hall closet and got a spare blanket.

"Man…he's a deep sleeper…" Matt rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and yawned. "Ugh…I need a shower…" He trudged up the stairs to his room.

~*~*~

Ludwig groaned as he lifted his head. He had no idea where he was. He could barely remember what happened the night before. His head fell back on the arm of the couch as it started pounding. "Oh yeah…" He remembered the party. He'd had a drinking contest with Gilbert, Arthur and Alfred. Arthur started acting weird pretty soon after they started so Alfred stopped to make sure he didn't do anything…strange, like last time. It took a while for Gilbert to fall, but he did. Ludwig won, but he must have passed out. Bad thing about Al's parties? The inevitable hangover. At least Alfred had been kind enough to give him a blanket. Ludwig pulled it over his head and fell asleep to the sound of running water.

~*~*~

"Hey, wake up."

Someone was shaking his shoulder. Ludwig shifted on the couch and mumbled, "Leave me alone, Al…"

"Al? I'm not Alfred…"

"…You're right, you can't be Alfred…" Ludwig slowly opened his eyes. "You're way too quiet." He rubbed his eyes and looked up at the tall, blond man with glasses. "You look like him though…"

"That's only because your mind is still fuzzy from drinking at Al's party last night." He folded his arms over his chest with an angry pout.

"How'd you know I was there? Were you there too?"

The man with glasses huffed angrily. "Yeah right…Like my dear old brother would _ever_ remember to invite _me_."

Ludwig pushed himself up. "Your brother? You're Al's brother?" then he added quietly, "I didn't know he had a brother…"

The man with glasses lowered his arms and sighed. "Uh-huh…My name is Matthew Williams…" Ludwig clutched his throbbing head and grumbled something. Matthew took a cup off the end table and handed it to the larger man along with a couple pills. "For your headache…" he said softly.

_This guy is **nothing** like his brother…_Ludwig eyed the pills. He just met the guy, should he trust him?

As if trying to reassure him, Matt said, "You know…We _have_ met before…But I guess you don't remember me…" Then under his breath, he added, "No one ever does…" After standing for a while he said, "If you don't want it, it's okay." He held out his hand to take them back.

"No, my headache's worse than my suspicion of you." He quickly downed the medicine,

"You must have wondered into my house while you were dead drunk…" Matt sat on the couch next to Ludwig. "I found you curled up on the kitchen floor a few hours ago…Carried you over here…" He was looking down at his hands, folded in his lap. They were all bandaged up. Wrapped from his wrists to his fingertips.

"Hey, what happened to your hands?" Ludwig asked as he played with the small cup in his hand.

"Hmn? Oh…Nothing, really, just hurt myself…I'll be okay though." He stood up. "Want some breakfast? I made pancakes."

"Sure…Thanks…" Ludwig got up and followed Matthew to the kitchen.


	3. Vacation

**A little note, I don't know how long this is gonna be, because when I come up with an ending, I get more ideas for this…and also, this takes place _after_ the Valentines day comic when Ludwig kinda proposes to Feliciano.**

**Hrrmmmm….Enjoy!**

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Matthew was drowning his pancakes in maple syrup as he spoke. "Yeah, I'm not all that close to my brother…For one, he never remembers who I am, two, he's a big, fat, stupid, meathead!" He was squeezing the bottle a little too hard, it was flowing over his plate and dripping on the table. "He's always borrowing my stuff and never giving it back! And-" His voice had been gradually rising until Ludwig interrupted him.

"Matthew."

"WHAT?!"

He flinched at Matthew's harsh voice. "Um…You're getting syrup…on the table…"

Matthew looked down and quickly flipped the bottle. "Oh…Umm…Sorry…'bout that…Did you want some syrup?"

"Umm…Sure…" He pushed his plate towards Matthew who poured syrup from his plate to Ludwig's.

"I'm really sorry I snapped at you. I just get so aggravated…my brother is so-….ugh!"

"He _is_ pretty annoying…"

Matthew sighed, "You don't know the half of it…" He stood up and got a towel to clean up the mess on the table. He cringed. His hands and arms were on fire. A bit of red started to show through the knuckles of his fresh bandages.

After taking a bite of his pancakes, Ludwig asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. It hurts, but it'll heal, I'll be okay. Um…How do you like them? The pancakes?"

"Mh…They're good, thank you…" They ate in silence for a bit. "I want to ask you something…" Matthew looked up. "Why are you being so kind to me. I practically broke into your house last night!"

"Yeah…But it's not like you did it on purpose…Besides, I'm at fault too. I left the door unlocked." He smiled. "Plus, it's in my nature. I'm too kind for my own good."

"Mmm…Thanks…"

"N-No problem. I'm-…I'm kinda like your friend, Feliciano, only I'm not so goofy."

"He's not-"

"I don't mean anything bad by that, I just mean he can be really silly. Well, I guess _anyone_ can be silly, but you know what I mean. you should know Feliciano better than anyone." Matthew continued to talk. He was rambling by now.

_I wonder…_ Ludwig reached out and gently tugged at the singular hair that stuck out in front of Matthew's face and he was instantly silent. "You _are_ like Feliciano!"

"Lu-Lud…wi…" Matt's eyes were shut tight and he started to tremble. "Puh-leez…l-le…leggo…" He bit his lower lip.

Ludwig let go and Matthew let out the breath he'd been holding. "Wh-why did you do that?" His cheeks were flushed pink.

"You were rambling. I just wanted to see if it was the same as with Feliciano."

"You do that to Feliciano??" Matthew asked in disbelief.

"It's the only way to shut him up. I still don't know why it does though…"

"Um…well-could you not do that…please?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, really…" Matthew blushed a darker shade of red and looked down at his pancakes. "So, umm, how's Feliciano anyway?"

"Mh…He's fine. Well, he-" Ludwig was cut off by the ringing phone.

"Ah, oh, excuse me." Matthew answered the wall phone. "Hello?" A short pause. "Oh! Bonjour!" He giggled. "Hey, Francis, how've you been?……Ugh, pretty good……Yeah, I broke the chain……What?…Oh! Yeah, he's here actually…Yeah…I'll tell him……What?…" He laughed. "Yeah, of course!……Um…No? Well, maybe…Kay, later." He hung up the phone and turned to Ludwig. "Feliciano's going _crazy_! He's worried about you." Ludwig blushed and Matt smiled. "You wanna call him?"

"I guess I should…But after we finish breakfast…" Putting a forkful of pancake in his mouth, Ludwig got a funny feeling in his stomach. _He's worried…_ A small smile found its way across his face and he blushed pink. _Even if it's nothing…_

Ludwig looked up at Matthew. "Thanks a…gai…n…why are you staring at me?"

"Huh? Oh! Um…s-sorry…it-…you looked real happy an'…and it was…uh…n-n-never mind…Hehe-ehe…" He quickly started shoveling food into his mouth so he wouldn't have to explain himself.

"O-…okay…"

~*~*~

When they finished eating Ludwig called Feliciano. He leaned against the wall waiting for him to pick up. "Umm…Ludwig, why are you holding the phone so far away from you?" He held it a foot away from his ear to be precise.

"You'll see…"

Mathew could hear the ringing only slightly. It stopped and he heard a voice. It was too quiet to tell who it was. "Feliciano," was all Ludwig had to say.

"LUDWIG!" Matthew could hear him loud and clear. "Ludwig! Why didn't you go back home after the party?? I went home before you but I had a bad dream so I ran and Vash shot at me again and I went to your house and you weren't there! Roderick said you never came home! Are you okay? Are you hungry? Are-"

"Feliciano!" Ludwig shouted, causing Matthew to jump and Feliciano to go silent. "I'm fine. I'm with a friend. I'm sorry I worried you, I'm okay now, I even ate breakfast already, so you don't have to worry, okay?"

"Nhh…Sí…Mi dispiace…" he replied a bit quieter, but Matthew could still hear him.

Ludwig sighed, "You don't have to be sorry. I'm glad…that you care…so…" He lowered his head and got sort of a dreamy look in his eyes.

Feliciano was silent for a long moment before he asked, "When are you coming home?"

Ludwig lifted his head again. The dreamy look was still there, but his brows furrowed in thought. He looked as if he didn't want to go back.

Matthew whispered, "I have an extra room, you can stay here if you want…"

"I'm gonna stay here for a few days," Ludwig said into the phone. "I'm staying with my friend, Matt."

"Who? I-"

"You don't know him. It's okay though. Don't worry."

"Ve…"

"Don't worry, okay?"

"Mmm…Sí…"

"Ciao, Feliciano."

"Ciao."

Ludwig hung up the phone and sighed. "Sorry…But thanks so much…I appreciate it…"

"It's no problem," Matthew said. "It's nice to have company. You can stay however long you want." He walked over to the window and looked out at the quiet town. "It's nice here, huh? It's quiet, no traffic, no loud people…nothing like Al's neighborhood…"

Ludwig just nodded.

"Uhh…Wanna go sit in the living room?"

"Sure…"

~*~*~

Matthew tried to break the awkward silence that seemed to follow him. "So, uhh…how was the party anyway? I've never been to one of my brother's parties before."

"Oh…well there isn't really much to it. There's his terrible music that makes my ears want to bleed, and his cheep beer."

"It was enough to put you out though."

"I think he put something in my drink."

"Why would Alfred do that?"

"Maybe because I always annoy him about how the beer sucks and I can't even get a little buzz from it…Must have been after the contest, that 'congratulatory drink'."

"Contest?"

"Yeah, a drinking contest. We always have one at his parties. I usually win, like last night."

"Oh…Who was competing?"

"It was just me, my brother Gilbert, Alfred and Arthur Kirkland."

"What? Arthur! Why the hell would Al let him do that? He should know more than anyone how Art gets when he's drunk!"

"He gets really flirty…" Ludwig blushed slightly. He had found out first hand what Arthur does when he gets drunk…

"Flirty? That's it? Then you haven't seen him at his worst!" Matthew hadn't noticed the uncomfortable look on the other man's face and kept talking. "It was Al's seventeenth birthday, my birthday was three days before, but no one ever remembers me, but yeah…Al and me had fake ids saying we were twenty-one so we could go to the bar. Arthur got pretty bad…he was…umm…trying to get Al to sleep with him…" Matthew scratched the back of his head. "You know Francis Bonnafoy, right?"

"Wish I didn't."

"Heh, well, he came into the bar and Art wouldn't stop…they left together and then Arthur kept himself locked in his house for a month afterwards…"

Ludwig was speechless. He looked at Matthew with a dumb expression.

"It's true…"

"Well…I'm glad I haven't seen him at his worst…" Ludwig said quietly.

"Umm…Yeah…So…You're going to stay here, right?" Matthew asked, quickly changing the subject again.

"I guess so."

"Gotta find you some new clothes. You need to stay warm. Plus you…uh…kinda stink a little bit…Sorry…"

"Oh…sorry…"

"Nah, it's okay. Hmm…we're basically the same height so I'm bound to have something to fit you. After we get you some clothes, you can shower in the guest's bathroom, 'kay?" He stood up and turned to Ludwig who was blushing lightly and looking pretty uncomfortable.

Why had he accepted the invitation? Was he _really_ going to spend the night in this house? The home of someone he just met? Ludwig couldn't figure it out. He couldn't understand why he trusted him so much after only just meeting him.

Maybe he was just that kind of person, the kind you _want_ to be able to trust.

"Come on," Matthew interrupted his thought.

"Uh, yeah…"

~*~*~

Ludwig spent a whole week with Matthew. He had a good time, actually. Being away from work was so relaxing. He almost didn't leave, but he'd started to worry what kind of shape his house was in. knowing his brother and Feliciano, it'd be nothing but rubble! Matthew was sad to see Ludwig leave, and though he tried to hide it, even Ludwig could see it. They parted ways with Matthew saying, "If you ever feel like taking a vacation, you can call me," with a big smile.


	4. Happy Birthday

**Yeah, there's some French in this. at the bottom are the translations.  
_____________**

It had already been over five months since that week. Ludwig never called and Matthew gave up waiting.

Matthew was curled up in bed when the phone rang. He felt blindly felt around the end table, knocking his glasses on the floor. He finally found the phone. "Nh, hello?"

"Bonjour, mon ami!"

"Eh? Oh, hi Francis."

"You know what day it is, mon petit ange?"

Matthew smiled. "It's June 30th."

"Et tomorrow?"

"My birthday," he said happily.

"Oui! Et I am coming over tomorrow to fix up a nice birthday meal for you, mon petit ange!"

"Not that I'm not happy, I am, but…why do you always call me petit? I'm taller than you and stronger too…" Matthew could almost hear the pout on the other line.

"Hey! Why do you have to be so mean to me? Don't you think I get enough of that already?" Francis whined, his elegant, French accent completely dissolved.

"Oh-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to-!"

"Ah…it's alright, I was only joking. So, I'll be over at-"

There was a beep. "Ah, hold on, someone's trying to call." Matthew switched to the other line. "Hello?"

"Matthew?"

"Um, yeah…" He recognized the voice. "Uh, Ludwig?"

"Yeah. I was wondering if you'd want to come over tomorrow?"

"Wha-um…h-hold on, I gotta check the other line, um, someone's trying to call through, don't hang up though!" He switched back to Francis. "It's Ludwig, he wants to know if I want to hang out with him tomorrow!"

"Do you?"

"But-I was gonna hang out with you."

"Ask him if I can come over too then!"

"Uh, okay-" He switched to Ludwig's call. "Um, I was going to spend time with Francis tomorrow, can he come over too?"

"Uh…I guess so…So you're going to come over?"

"Yeah!" he said, a little too happily.

"Uh, good. Come over around one, okay?"

"Yeah!"

"Bye."

"Uh, bye!" when Ludwig hung up, Matthew quickly switched back to Francis. "You still there?"

"Oui."

"You can come over too, Ludwig says it's alright. I'm sorry though…I always hang out with you on my birthday…I'm sorry"

Francis laughed, "It's okay. What time are you going?"

"He said one."

"Alright, I'll meet you there, mon petit ange."

"Ah…alright, bye!"

~*~*~

Matthew checked his watch. It was seventeen after one. He gulped. He was more nervous than he should have been, but he couldn't help it. When he knocked lightly on the door Ludwig almost immediately opened it. Matthew flinched back. "Um, hi…Ludwig…"

"Come in." He nodded for Matthew to follow him after he closed the door. "I'm sorry I haven't called you. I've been really busy." He was lead to the living room. Francis was sitting on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, the man he remembered to be Kiku sat next to him with his hands on his lap and Feliciano bounced happily in an armchair. "Happy birthday, Matthew." Ludwig patted his shoulder.

"Wh-You remembered?" Matthew grinned from ear to ear.

Francis stood up and walked to Matthew, put his arms around him and cooed, "Tu es la chose la plus mignonne qui existe!"

"Quoi? Ne dis pas ça!!" Matthew pushed him away and Feliciano giggled.

Francis turned to him and asked, "Ludwig sait-il parler français?"

The Italian shook his head and Ludwig looked at Francis. "I heard my name. What are you saying about me?"

The French man laughed and added, "Ceci a pu être amusement!"

"Seriously though, Francis, stop it," Matthew lightly punched his shoulder.

"Ah!" he sighed. "Oui, mon chéri." Matthew blushed and Feliciano giggled again.

There were many conversations. Some meant to be made more private by speaking in a different language, but it didn't really help. If any of them spoke in their native language (except Kiku) Matthew understood, though he kept this knowledge to himself.

After a while, another man, Roderich, stepped in carrying a cake. "Happy Birthday, Matthew." He placed it on the low table and Matt's face lit up. It said 'Happy Birthday Matt' in red icing.

"You guys even got me a cake?"

"Correction, we _made_ you a cake." Roderich smiled.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

After they finished the cake, Feliciano ran out of the room yelling, "I'll go get it now! Matt, close your eyes!" He did, and when the hyper Italian ran back into the room he shouted, "Ora! Look!"

"What is-AH!!" His eyes went wide when he saw the large, white teddy bear he was holding. It had a big, red gift bow on its head. "Uwa! It's so cuuute!"

"That's good, 'cuz it's for you!" Feliciano passed the bear to him.

"R-Really? YAY! Thank you so much!" He squeezed it tightly and rubbed his face against it. "It's so soft!"

"Hmn, I've never known a grown man get so excited over a stuffed animal." Roderich laughed.

"Eh-oh…" he lowered the bear and blushed.

"He's only nineteen, let him be childish if he wants!" Francis sat next to Matthew and put his arm around him. "These guys were hopelessly lost. They had no idea what to get you."

"You helped, huh?"

"But of course! Anything for my little angel."

Matthew later stood by the door. "Thank you so much guys."

"Yeah, of course. You said that no one ever remembers your birthday, right? I made sure I remembered. You let me stay with you, so I figured, it was the least I could do." Ludwig pat his shoulder. "You want to come over again?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm off the day after tomorrow. You want to?"

"S-Sure!" Matthew smiled, squeezing his new teddy bear. "Thanks a lot, Ludwig."

"Dépêches-toi!" Francis was already waiting outside by Matthew's car.

"Uh, coming!" He turned toward his car, calling over his shoulder, "Bye bye!"

~*~*~

Matthew drove Francis home and stayed a while. Francis walked into the living room with two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. "Voulez-vous du vin, mon chéri?"

"You know I can't handle alcohol…"Matthew said a bit absently as he watched TV.

"Come on, just one glass won't hurt." He poured a glass for himself and one for Matthew and handed it to him. "Here, I promise I won't give you more than that."

"Fine…" he said quietly as he accepted the drink, sipping it lightly.

"So, you really had a good time, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Francis took a closer look at Matthew's face. He wasn't watching the TV at all. His eyes were blank, he was spacing out. "Ugh…" Francis put down his glass and slipped himself onto Matthew's lap. He wrapped his arms around the birthday boy's shoulders. "What's wrong, mon chéri? I thought you had a good time?"

Matthew sipped the wine. "I did. I really did…It just…makes me think of how lonely I've been is all…and it makes me sad…"

__________  
**WARNING**

**Eh, Matt is drunk and Francis is his usual horny self, so…inappropriate material up next ^^;  
****_________**

Francis sighed, staying in his lap. They both finished their glasses and together, they finished off the rest of the bottle. Matthew's vision was already hazy but Francis seemed normal, even though he drank most of it. Matt wrapped his arms around the waist of the man in his lap and pulled him close. "Je t'aime, papa…"

"Ah…" The 'papa' thing again. Crap… "Ah, you know you're not supposed to call me 'papa'…"

"Papa…" he moaned. In his drunken stupor, Matthew was quickly causing a reaction in a certain man's vital regions. Matt ran his hands up the other man's shirt, pushing it up to get to his chest. "Mmm…Papa smells nice…" he grinned as he lightly touched his nose to Francis' chest. He continued to lightly run his hands up and down the other man's back, sending chills the entire length of his spine. Lightly kissing his chest, Matthew cupped Francis' ass in his hands and pulled him close so their bodies were pressed against one another. "Eh?" He felt something against his belly and laughed, "Already? Wow, I call you papa and moan a little and you're already like this, eh?"

"Wh-Hey! It's your fault! You know just what to-Uwa!" Matthew had knocked him off his lap onto the couch. Gently stroking his best friend's soft cheek, he leaned down to gently kiss his forehead.

"You're already rock hard, huh? Gotta do sumthin' 'bout that, eh?" He quickly removed the jeans that were in his way, releasing Francis' already swollen member, and threw them to the floor. "You're not wearing underwear?"

"Easy access." He smirked and watched as 'his little angel' lowered himself to some very un-angelic things. "You know you don't have to do this, right?"

"I know you want it. You _always_ want this."

"I know, of course I want is, I just said you don't ha-ahh!" Francis let his head fall back against the couch as Matthew took the length in his mouth. "Mnn…Not messing arou-nh! Around th-this t-time, huh?" Matt began to hum, letting his partner enjoy the sensation, bobbing his head, taking more and more into his mouth each time. "Nh-like ah! Like always, even when you're dr-dru-drahh!"

Matthew pulled his head back and said, annoyed, "Stop talking. It's bugging me."

"As you wish, mon-AH!!" Matthew lightly dragged his teeth against the sensitive area. "Nh-s-sorry…" Matthew smirked around Francis' arousal as he worked his practiced tongue around it. The television was forgotten as Francis was pleasured by his drunken friend. "Nh! M-Mathieu! Hah…ha-AH!!" Francis yelled as he came into Matthew's mouth. "Ahh…Mhh…Matthew…nh…you're the best…know that? Even when you're drunk…Matthew?" Matthew had his head on Francis' stomach, snoring. "Oh…" Francis ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "He's so cute…Puits de sommeil…"

The next morning Matthew woke up before Francis. He pulled a blanket over the sleeping man, drove home and washed out his mouth with Listerine and went back to bed.

**_________  
****Yeah…that's it. That's not the main pairing, it's still gonna be Matt and Ludwig…just later ^^;  
_________**

Here's the French i used...not sure if it's completely right, but this is what the site said ^^; if they're wrong, please tell me.  
Thanks for the help, Mirianna16 =D i think i fixed them all

Bonjour, mon ami!- Hello, my friend!  
mon petit ange- my little angel  
Tu es la chose la plus mignonne qui existe!- You're the cutest thing ever!  
Quoi? Ne dis pas ça!- What? Don't say that!  
Ludwig sait-il parler français?- Does Ludwig speak French?  
Ceci a pu être amusement!- This could be fun!  
Dépêches-toi!- Hurry up!  
Voulez-vous du vin, mon chéri?- Would you like some wine, my darling?  
Je t'aime, papa…- I love you, Daddy...


	5. I have a Date!

Every day, for a month, when Ludwig had off work, Matthew spent time with him. They just stayed in and watched television or something, but it was the best time Matthew had in a long time. They barely even spoke to each other half the time, just sat there, enjoying the quiet company. This particular evening, they were at Ludwig's house.

"Ludwig," Roderich started as he walked into the room. "Matthew's fallen asleep."

"Hmn?" Ludwig looked to his side. Matt's head was down and he was snoring softly. "Matthew?" Ludwig gently shook his shoulder but he just flopped over onto his lap, still sleeping. Ludwig blushed fiercely when the sleeping man nuzzled up against his legs. "Uh-I-I'll go p-put him in one of the extra rooms." He quickly scooped Matthew up and darted out of the room, leaving Roderich more than a little confused.

Ludwig gently placed him on the bed, pulled off his shoes and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. He stood there looking down at his friend. He looked so peaceful, so happy…so cute… In his sleep, Matthew smiled and let out a quiet sigh. A good dream maybe? Ludwig wondered if he might be there, in that happy dream of his. He sat on the edge of the bed, rested his elbows on his knees and hid his face in his hands. "Why? Why did this have to happen?" Ludwig asked no one, but he got a reply.

"Why did _what_ happen?" Ludwig looked up to see Roderich standing in the doorway. "Is something the matter?" Ludwig stood and turned toward the door, trying to walk past, not wanting to explain himself, but Roderich stepped in front of him. "Really, _what_ is wrong, Ludwig?" The taller man looked off to the side and he reached up and put a hand on Ludwig's shoulder. "You know I just want to help, right?"

After a moment of silence, Ludwig said, "I'll tell you…" He looked back at the sleeping blond. "But not here…Let's go to my room…" They did and Ludwig sat on the end of his bed. He rested his elbows on his knees again and leaned over, sighing. Roderich pulled the chair out of the corner of the room and sat down, crossing one leg over the other and folding his hands neatly in his lap. They were silent for a long while as Ludwig collected his thoughts. "Well…" he finally started. "I-…It's the same…"

"What is?" Roderich asked calmly.

"Th-" he paused. "The way I feel about him…"

"Is the same as…what, exactly?" The sad, longing look Ludwig had told him everything. "You feel the same way about Matthew as you do Feliciano. Is that it?" Ludwig nodded and Roderich stood. He sat down again next to his taller friend and placed his hand on his shoulder. "How long have you felt this way?"

"Hmn…I…I'm not sure…I've been thinking about it for the past week…"

"And you're sure about this?"

Ludwig crossed his arms over his chest and was silent for another long while before saying quietly, "Yes…I'm sure…"

"What do you plan on doing about it?"

"What? I don't know…I can't tell him, that's all I know."

"Why not?"

"You know what happened last time I…confessed…"

Roderich wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder and pulled him closer, so that his head was resting on the shorter man's chest. Ludwig didn't push away, but kept his arms crossed. "You don't now that it'll be the same. Matthew is a great guy, and-"

"That's exactly it! He's a _guy_! How weird do you think it'd be if I just walked up to him and said, 'hey, I l-…I…'" He was quiet again. "I just can't…You know I'm not even good at this sort of thing…He's a nice person…What is it that Francis always calls him?"

"What?...You mean, mon petit ange?"

"My little angel…" He blushed saying it out loud. It sounded so stupid when he said it, but it didn't matter. "He _is_ an angel…" He blushed even darker. "Damnit!" he pulled away from Roderich and stood up. He began to pace as he muttered to himself.

"Really, you should tell him. He's only just down the ha-"

"No! I can't **ever** tell him!"

"Why?" Roderich rose his voice. "You know you want to be with him!"

"Of course I do!" His voice was loud and he sounded on the verge of tears. Roderich was quieted. He'd never seen this man so upset in his life. "I know I'm not good at this; I'm a failure when it comes to relationships, I don't know _anything_ about being in a relationship, but what I _do_ know is that whenever I see him, my face feels hot. When he says my name, my heart skips a beat, and whenever he smiles, I just want to wrap my arms around him and hold him close and just stay like that, with him. I've been inviting him over every second I can because I just want to _be_ with him! But I can't tell him! The most I can do is be his friend. That's all I can do…All …can do…" He covered his face with his hands and sat down next to Roderich again.

Unknown to the two men, there was someone listening to their conversation. Feliciano stood in the hall outside Ludwig's door, looking down at his bare feet. Actually, he was completely naked save for an unbuttoned shirt. "You can't tell him…but I can…" He darted to the spare room where Matthew was snuggled under the blanket. Feliciano took a running start and leaped up, landing on the sleeping man.

"AGGH!!" Matthew yelled as he quickly curled into a ball, knocking Feliciano off and holding onto his vital regions. "Maple!" he squeaked. "What in the world possessed you to do that?" His voice raised, "That really hu-" Feliciano slapped his hand over Matt's mouth.

"Shush. I have to ask you something, and we can't have Ludwig hearing you and coming in, okay?" Matthew nodded and Feliciano removed his hand and whispered, "Do you date girls or guys?"

Matthew blushed a tomato red. "Wh-What brought this on?"

"Just answer the question," Feliciano insisted.

"You're wondering if I'm gay, huh? Everyone always suspects that I am…" He sighed as he turned his head, burying his face against his pillow and mumbled, "Yeah, I am…"

"That's great!"

Matthew lifted his head, confused. "Wait, what?"

Ignoring Matt, he said, "Question two! Would you ever consider going out with Ludwig?"

"Huh?...That-…That is…" The question definitely caught him off guard. Matthew pulled himself up so he could sit against the backboard. "I don't know…Maybe…" He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees. "I mean…" He started to mumble. "He's a nice guy…Polite, kind, smart…" Matthew started smiling and there was a little giggle in his voice. "He's _more_ than attractive…" He sort of resembled a girl, thinking of her perfect guy. "Wait-You're not just getting me thinking about him so you can say he hates me or something, right?"

Feliciano smiled. "Nope, he really likes you! He's just…having trouble telling you."

"R-Really?"

Feliciano sighed. "Yup. I just heard him talking to Roderich about it. He said he feels the same about you."

"Same?"

Feliciano looked away, toward the door. "Yeah…the same way he feels about me…It's because of me he's having so much trouble…I mean, he's not the best at expressing his feelings, but…I kind of rejected him…I feel bad. I wanted to help him along. He really wants to be with you…He was..." Feliciano closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, _would_ you date him?" After a moment of thought, Matthew nodded. "If you want to ask him out now, he's in his room. And…he's never been in a relationship before. He doesn't know anything about being with someone, so be patient if he doesn't get something right, okay?"

Matthew pointed to himself. "I grew up with Alfred and didn't kill him. I don't think you have to worry about me losing my patience." The two of them laughed for a while before Matthew got up and was about to leave the room when he turned back to Feliciano. His face was a bright pink color as he stared at the Italian's face, struggling just a bit not to look down. "Hey…Why are you naked?"

"Huh? Oh, I forgot to get dressed."

"Um…okay…" Matthew walked down the hall and knocked lightly on the open bedroom door. Ludwig looked to see who it was, then turned away. "Ludwig…"

He didn't look at Matthew, but replied, surprisingly calm considering his panic earlier. "Yeah?"

"Sorry I fell asleep before." He laughed softly. "And thanks."

"Of course." This man was very skilled at masking his emotions. He could hide it from his voice, but not his face. His cheeks were bright red and his eyes were shut tight.

"Well…" He took a step closer and nodded to Roderich for him to get up. He did and Matthew sat next to Ludwig, who instantly tensed up. "There's something I want to tell you, well, a few things. I'm so glad we're friends, I really am. And…Ludwig, it feels like you're not even listening to me."

"I am. I'm listening."

"Come on, look at me, please?" After taking a deep breath, Ludwig turned his head. He looked like he normally did. "Thanks. You're really cool. Smart, kind and a good friend. Well, anyway, I really like spending time with you. And…" His voice softened a bit. "I want to spend _more_ time with you…" He smiled softly and his cheeks flushed pink. "Uh…Ludwig?...Would you, um…Maybe wanna…umm…go on a date with me sometime?" He squeaked out the last bit. Ludwig's eyes opened wide and his jaw fell. "Unless…ya know…you're not into guys…In which case I just _totally_ embarrassed myself and probably ruined our friendship…" Ludwig was still silent.

"Come on!" Roderich yelled, making Matthew and Ludwig both jump. "Now's your chance!"

"Huh? Oh! D-Definitely! I-…I'd like that…"

Matthew smiled. "Yay! Why not this Friday? Francis has off work so we can go to his restaurant and not worry about him being there."

"S-Sure..."

"How about I come over at one? We can have lunch together, unless you have work?"

"Ah-no, that's fine."

Matthew jumped up. "Great! I'll come get you and we'll go out to eat, then...Well, we'll figure out what else later. That okay with you, Ludwig?" The taller man's heart skipped a beat and he started to feel out of breath.

Ludwig stood. "Y-Yeah. That's fine." Matthew clapped his hands together and smiled. Ludwig took a step toward him, tightly wrapping his arms around Matthew's thin frame. Holding him close, Ludwig could feel his face getting hot again. He didn't care. He wouldn't have cared if he looked like a tomato, as long as he could be with Matthew. The shorter man was taken by surprise, his arms stuck against the other man's chest, but he rested his head on Ludwig's shoulder and relaxed against him_ Wow...He **really** likes me..._ He nuzzled against Ludwig's shoulder and waited until the larger man wanted to let go of him.

By the time he was released, Matthew's little smile had grown, making Ludwig blush darker. "I'm...sorry..."

Matthew lightly punched his shoulder. "Don't be sorry. I love hugs!" He checked his watch. "Wow...I's really late...Would you mind if I stayed the night?"

"I-I was already planning on that when I put you in the spare bed..."

"Oh yeah, right. Of course." Matthew smiled despite his embarrassment. "Well, I'm gonna go to sleep, okay?" He yawned and it was literally _the_ cutest thing Ludwig had ever seen. He had to resist taking Matthew in a bear hug again.

"Yeah, g'night Matt." Matthew left the room with a little wave and Ludwig collapsed on his bed, letting out a huge sigh.

"Well, I would say his timing was splendid!"

Ludwig groaned, "Yeah, but now I have a date with Matthew!"

"But isn't that what you wanted?"

"Well, yeah! But...I've never been on a real date before! What am I gonna do?"

Meanwhile, in the spare room, Matthew jumped on the bed and bounced around, again, acting more like a girl who just got a date with the hottest guy in school. "Oh my gosh! I'm so happy!" He bounced again and wrapped his arms around Feliciano's neck, Knocking him over, hugging him close. "Thank you thank you thank you!!"

Feliciano hugged him back. "How'd it go? Other than good, I'm guessing!"

"We have a date on Friday!"

"Great! Now, don't tell Ludwig I was already here, okay?"

"Why?"

"He can't know I helped, okay?" He got up and walked to the door.

"O-Okay? Thanks...Really." Feliciano smiled, gave him the thumbs up and sneaked out of the room. Matthew settled in bed and as he did, he heard the front door slam open and Feliciano screaming and crying, "Ludwig!! I had a bad dream!!" then Ludwig yelling and Roderich laughing. Matthew sighed and pulled the blanket over his head. something dawned on him. He mumbled, "Heh, I'm glad I wasn't invited to that party." then fell asleep.


	6. Preparations

"Ugh…How am I supposed to tell him?" Ludwig sighed as he stepped into the garage, the day after Matthew had set up their date.

"Ludwig! 'Bout time ya' showed up! Come on, help your brother with the truck in the back. I tell that kid to change a freakin' tire and he can't even do _that_!" A dark haired man about the same height and build as Ludwig was under the hood of a small car. He was shirtless, grease smeared on his chest, pants and face. "I'm busy and so is John. Seriously, that boy…"

"Um…Danny?"

"Son, can it wait until you go get Gilbert into shape? That delivery truck had a blow out. The owner's coming to get it soon. Your brother said he replaced it yesterday so when the owner called I said they could come and get it!"

Ludwig sighed. "Yeah, I'll go get that done…" He marched to the back of the room and shouted, "Gilbert!"

"Agh!" Gilbert jumped up. He was laying on the floor with his head resting against the new tire he was supposed to replace. "Guh…What?" He stumbled to his feet, rubbing his eyes. "Whadaya want, man?"

Angrily, he pushed his brother, almost knocking him over. "What do you _think_ I want? Danny told you to do something, now do it! Unless you've forgotten everything he's done for us? He took us in when no one else would! Took us off the street! I'm letting you stay in my house now, but if you don't start pulling your own weight around, I'll kick you right back into the street!!" While Gilbert scrambled to change the tire, Ludwig walked back to Danny.

"You scared him good this time, huh?"

"Yeah, it was easy," he said coldly.

"Now what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Uhh…can we talk in the office?"

"You keepin' a secret from everyone?" Ludwig just looked at him. "Yeah, come on." Danny led Ludwig to the office and closed the door. "What is it?"

"I'm not going to be here on Friday."

"What?" He was seriously confused. "Why? You haven't taken a day off in your life!"

"Well…um…I have…I have a d-…a date on Friday…"

Danny just stared for a while. "What?...Really?"

"Y-…Yeah…"

"Not with that Italian that's always hanging on you?"

"N-No!"

"So you found a nice girl?"

Ludwig looked at his feet. "You're half right…"

"A nice boy?" Ludwig nodded slowly. "Well, at least he's nice!" He placed his hand on Ludwig's shoulder and smiled. "So, what's he like?"

"Uh…His name is Matthew…He's really nice…quiet, shy…smart. He actually seems like a girl sometimes…"

Danny smirked, "What's he look like?"

"Um…he looks like Alfred Jones…They're brothers…"

"Al's got a brother? Nothing like each other, huh? Just like you and Gil, that free-loading loser…"

Ludwig laughed and added, "Anyway, they look the same, but his hair is like Francis'. They've been friends for a long time and Francis does his hair…"

"That whore that Gil hangs out with?"

"Yeah…" He never thought that Gilbert might know Matthew. He'd never been around when Matthew came over. "Well, I'm gonna be out…we're going to Francis' restaurant. Matthew said he has off on Friday, so we won't have to worry about him being there…"

"BOSS!" Ludwig and Danny both jumped. Gilbert slammed open the door to the office. "I'm done! What do I have to do now?"

"Go help John with that engine."

"Got it!" He left the room and closed the door behind him.

"He's a good mechanic…Just freakin' lazy!"

~*~*~

Later that same day, Matthew knocked on the door in front of him. "Come on!" He'd been standing there for ten minutes already, he knew Francis was home, and he needed to ask him something. "Ugh! I'll just take 'em…" He pulled out his small ring of keys and unlocked the door. He stepped in and closed the door behind him, quickly slipping in and out of the rooms, looking For Francis, making sure he wasn't hurt again. He didn't find anything to tell him that Francis was hurt so he made his way to the bedroom to get what he needed. He got a whole lot of something he didn't need. "Oh, God!" He turned and ran out of the room; his entire face was bright red up to his ears. "Oh man, oh man…" Matthew covered his face with both his hands, and tried to leave the house at the same time. Kind of a stupid idea. He walked into a few walls, then into a person. He froze.

"What's wrong, mon chéri?"

"What do you _think_ is wrong?"

"Well, you just walked in on my fun, could that be it?"

"It was a rhetorical question!" Matthew squeaked angrily.

Francis just laughed. "So, what is it you wanted?"

Matthew didn't remove his hands from his face. He knew the man in front of him was naked, and the moment Matthew looked, the other man would flaunt it. "I wanted to borrow some clothes, you obviously don't need them!"

"A special occasion?"

"Yeah…"

"What is it?"

"I don't have to tell you."

"Oh, but I think you do!" Francis took Matthew's wrists and pulled his hands away from his face. "Come on mon chéri! Tell me!" he pulled Matthew close against his body.

"L-Let go!"

"I'll let go only if you tell me!" Francis was slowly pushing Matthew towards the living room.

"I have a date on Friday, okay!"

"Oh! Anyone I know?"

"I answered, now let g-AGH!" Francis pushed him down on the couch and he struggled to get up.

"Come on, tell me!" Francis said playfully as he pushed Matthew down again. "Do I know this person?"

"I don't have to tell you! Get off! If you don't I'll hurt you!"

"Oh, you know you wouldn't do that!" He chuckled as he lightly tugged on the singular curl in front of Matthew's face. He twirled and twisted it between his thumb and index finger as Matthew squirmed underneath him.

"Nh-s-stop, I'll really hurt you!" Francis pulled harder. "It-Ludwig!" Matthew was released and he pushed Francis off of him, scrambling off the couch, punched the naked man in the stomach and shouted. "You bastard!" He stormed off to Francis' bedroom after seeing the pervert double over, gagging. He threw open the door and stomped toward the closet.

"Hi Matthew!" One of the men on the bed greeted him.

"Hi, Antonio…" He pushed clothes around and threw them on the floor, out of his way, looking for a certain outfit.

"Hey! Where's Francis?" the loud albino man shouted.

"He's probably still doubled over in the living room, possibly puking…"

"What he do this time?"

Matthew looked toward the bed and saw the two naked men. He couldn't tell if his face was hot from seeing them, or from the anger that twisted in his stomach. He noticed that Gilbert's white hair had a bit of black shining in it. _Grease?_ He _did_ say he was a mechanic once. But he didn't seem the type to actually _do_ his work. "What do you _think_ he did?" Matthew turned back to the closet and pulled down a black button-down shirt with thin, vertical, red stripes.

"Knowing him, he touched it."

"Yeah, that's it…"

Antonio bounced a little on the bed. "I wish I had a curl like yours! That'd be so cool!" He laughed childishly. "'Cause of you, I finally found out why Lovino always hits me when I pull on his."

"But you still do it!" Gilbert pushed him playfully.

"Of course I do! How can I not?" he laughed as he pushed Gilbert back. They started pushing each other until Antonio fell off the bed and they just continued laughing.

"Well, I've got what I needed," Matthew said as he pulled a pair of black pants off its hanger. "Later guys."

"See ya!" Antonio called after him as he left the room. Matthew raised his arm and waved over his shoulder. As he passed through the living room, he saw that Francis was still on the floor. He hadn't thrown up though.

"Ah-Mon petit ange! You called me a bastard!"

"So?"

"You've never cursed at me before!"

"Aw, maple! Ya see? That's how angry you make me!" Matthew was overcome by the urge to hit the man while he was down. He took a few, quick steps toward him and kicked him in the stomach. Francis cried out and rolled over on his other side.

"Ah-Mon ami, you're so mean to me!"

"Your own fault." Just then, Antonio jumped on Matthew's back, nearly knocking him over. He wrapped his legs around the taller man's waist and his arms around his shoulders. He reached up and lightly tugged at that special curl and Matthew collapsed with Antonio beneath him. "Tch-Wha…?" He could hear Gilbert laughing hysterically. Of course it was him. Antonio wouldn't have even thought of this himself. The idiot always did what he was told. "Le-Let go! Or you'll end up li-ah! Like Francis!" The smaller man quickly let go of the curl and removed his legs. Matthew quickly got up, off the naked man.

"Man! That was awesome! I can't believe you actually did that!!" Gilbert nearly fell over laughing.

"Now I'm mad…"

"Gil-you should run," Francis advised from his place on the floor.

"Wha-?" Too late. Matthew slapped him so hard that there was a dark red handprint left on his cheek.

"Next time you decide to make me the butt of your joke, I won't let you off so easily, got it?!" Gilbert nodded as he rubbed his cheek. "Good!" With that final word, Matt stomped out of the house, slamming the door behind him.


	7. Date Night: Phase 1

**Oh, by the way, those characters from the last chapter, John and Danny, I just made them up. I needed characters for that idea, ya know? Anyway, there's a couple more characters I made up in this chapter, 'kay? =D**

* * *

"Ludwig! Calm down, it'll be fine. You're just going out to lunch, please calm down." Roderich put a hand on Ludwig's shoulder, stopping the taller man from pacing.

"How _can_ I calm down?" He started tugging at his tie. "I know I'm going to mess _something_ up!" He wore a full white suit, a little warm, but he didn't know what else to wear. The doorbell rang and Ludwig jumped. "I can't do this! Why did I say yes, I- I can't-!" Roderich let out an exasperated sigh and went to answer the door. He came back with Matthew behind him, his cheeks the usual rose color. He wore a nice black shirt with thin, vertical red stripes, nice black pants and shined black shoes. His hair was pulled up in the back with a thin red ribbon tied in a bow. Ludwig blushed. He looked…good. But one thing… "Um…Hi…Matt…" He looked down and shuffled his feet nervously.

"Hi, Ludwig. Um, no offence, but you're a little over-dressed for…my taste…and where we're going…" He blushed a bit darker as he walked over to Ludwig. "Would you mind taking the jacket off? It looks nice on you, it really does, but-…"

"S-sure…" He quickly took off the jacket and handed it to Roderich.

"Great! Are you ready to go?"

Ludwig swallowed hard, a wave of nausea caused by his nerves. "Y-…Yeah…"

"Let's go then." He smiled, tilting his head slightly.

"Uh-Ye-yeah..." Matthew took Ludwig's hand and pulled lightly.

"Oi! West! Your date here yet? I wanna meet him!" a familiar and annoying voice called.

"Shit! My brother-Let's go!" Ludwig ran to the door, pulling Matthew, giggling, behind him. He quickly ran to Matthew's car. An old, red compact car. Kind of ugly, but it still worked. Quickly backing away from the house, Matthew glanced at the front door, seeing a man waving. "My brother…" Ludwig sighed. Matthew tried to see the man more clearly. He looked familiar but they were too far down the street. After sitting in silence for five minutes, Ludwig said, "It's kind of weird, seeing you driving."

"Oh…really? Huh…"

"Um…Matthew dressed like that…you kind of look like Francis…" Matthew swerved, almost running up the curb and hitting a tree. Ludwig's arms shot out, grabbing at the door with one hand and the other clutching Matthew's arm. Matt straitened out the car and pulled over against the curb.

"I'm sorry!" Matthew shouted, placing his hand on Ludwig's. "You-caught me off guard!" Matthew, looking at the still terrified look on Ludwig's face, added softly "I didn't mean to…"

"I-It's alright…I-I'm sorry I said that…" Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed down considerably. "I guess I shouldn't have mentioned that…" He added, muttering under his breath, "Already I screwed something up…"

"I-It's okay. Well, d-do you want me to let my hair down?" He reached back to untie the ribbon. "F-Francis always has his hair up like this…he said it looks good on me though so I thought…"

"No, it's okay…It does look good…" He looked out the window, trying to hide the blush. "L-Let's just go…okay? I'm okay now…" Suddenly realizing he was still holding onto Matthew's arm, he jerked away, crossing his arms over his chest.

"A-Alright…" They made the rest of the trip in silence. Matthew occasionally glanced at Ludwig, but every time he did, the larger man was still staring out the window. When he pulled into the small lot adjacent to the restaurant, he turned off the car and quietly said, "We're here…" Ludwig looked out the front window at the lit up sign reading, 'Un Goût de Paris.' The stayed in the car for a while. Silence was something they usually had in common, and now was no exception. "Um…Shall we?"

"Uh-Yeah…" They stepped out of the car and walked to the door. Matthew held the door open and Ludwig walked in ahead. Hearing the man at the front desk asking Ludwig if he had a reservation and the thin blond stepped up. "Hello, Nathan."

For a moment, the man just stared at him. "Ah! Je suis désolé! Monsieur Mathieu! Terribly sorry! I thought you were Monsieur Francis for a moment!"

"Really?" Matthew looked down at his feet and grumbled something, but Ludwig couldn't tell what he was saying if anything at all. "Well…can we just go to our table?"

"Ah! But monsieur Mathieu! You have not yet introduced me to your boyfriend."

"H-He's-…" He looked up at Ludwig who was blushing furiously. "He's not my boyfriend! H-He's just a friend!"

"But you're on a date, non?"

"Ah…" Ludwig was looking away from them, obviously embarrassed to be with him. "Ah…No…it's not a…date…exactly..."

Ludwig, as casually as he could, took Matthew's hand in his, lacing his calloused fingers with the slender digits of his companion. "Y-Yeah…it's a date…"

Matthew smiled, blushing brightly. "Th-This is Ludwig…"

"A pleasure to meet you, Ludwig. I'm Nathan, a friend of your adorable little date here."

"Ah…Acquaintance…Friend of Francis'."

The man named Nathan sighed. "Oui, let me show you to your table. Follow me, s'il vous plaît" He led them to the booth in the back of the dining area. Ludwig slid in first, positioning him self so that none of the other diners would be able to see him. "Ah, Monsieur Mathieu, may I have a word with you?"

"Uh-Sure." The stepped aside and Nathan whispered, "I'm terribly sorry, but when Francis heard you were going on a date, he pressed to find out if you were coming here…he has his ways of…persuasion…" He looked down at his feet. "Je suis désolé…I'm terribly sorry…But he seemed honest when he said he just wanted to make sure your date went well…"

Matthew sighed and whispered back, "Whatever. As long as Ludwig doesn't find out he's here, I'm fine." He slid into the booth across from Ludwig, in plain view of anyone who happened to look over.

"Oui, your waiter will be here shortly." He placed two menus on the table and left the two staring downward, a bit awkwardly, at the table. "Um…Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn't a good idea to come here…Francis may be off work, but I know everyone else that works here too…

Ludwig didn't look up. "It's alright…" Shortly after, a young blond woman wearing a nice white blouse and black pants walked up to their booth, her ponytail bouncing cutely.

"Hello, Matthew. Who's your friend?" She smiled as she turned to Ludwig.

"Um…Dani?" Matthew looked up at her, pleading for her to leave Ludwig alone.

"Oh! Um, sorry. I'm such an airhead! What would you two like tonight?"

The made their orders and Dani walked away. "Sorry…I promise though, where we're going next will make dealing with them worth it! Okay?" Ludwig nodded and Matthew smiled. Soon Dani came back with their drinks and quickly left again.

"Matthew…" Matt looked up at Ludwig. "Why did you ask me out tonight?"

Matthew looked back to his drink. _Feliciano told me not to tell…But I should tell the truth…_ "It's because I like you, I'd been thinking about it for a while and finally got the courage to ask you," he lied. "Why else?" _Be honest; just tell him, it'll be okay._

"Why do you like me? I'm so boring…Not at all…d-…dating material…" He started playing with his drink, turning it, watching the ice. "Why'd you pick me?"

Matthew was silent, looking down at his drink as well. _Come on! Just tell him!_It took a while to muster up the courage to speak. "Truth is…I would've never asked you out if Feliciano hadn't…told me…"

Ludwig looked up. "Told you what?"

"Well…Th-That night…I fell asleep…Feliciano came and woke me up…He said you were talking to Roderich…about how…you couldn't t-tell me…" He looked away, out to the crowd of tables. Someone quickly hid behind a chair. _Ugh, I'm seeing things now…_ Francis looked up from behind the chair. When he saw Matthew still looking, he waved with an awkward smile. Matt turned back to Ludwig. He was staring back in disbelief.

"What?"

"I'm so sorry…But don't misunderstand! I didn't ask you out because I felt bad, or I just wanted to make you happy. True, I had never thought about you like that…but…Feliciano made me think…and I realized that I'd like to be with you, see if we can make it work…" Matthew glanced back to where Francis had been hiding. He wasn't hiding anymore. Sitting, his elbows on the table and chin in his hands, he had a hopeful look. Matthew's frown and downward glances had kind of worried him. Matthew shrugged his shoulder slightly. Francis flashed him a sympathetic look and Matthew turned back to Ludwig, still in shock. "I like you, and…and you're not boring…"

"Wh-…Why do you like me?"

Matthew looked up at him, a small smile on his face. "I'm always happy when I'm with you. I feel like I can relax and be myself around you…without being ignored…You know what? Despite my smile…I'm usually not too happy…but with you, it's sincere!" He looked down, folding his hands on the table. "So far, there're only two people like that for me…You're one of them…"

"The other is Francis."

"Yeah…But you know that he's just a friend. If anything he's almost a father figure, totally different from what I think of you." He smiled awkwardly and turned back to see if Francis was still there. He was still watching, Nathan hovering over his shoulder, telling Francis something. Then he saw Dani, carrying a large tray with two meals, walking toward them.

"Oh, our food is here!" Dani placed their plates in front of them with a quick, "Enjoy your meal," and left.

Ludwig just looked down at his food and Matthew began eating. After swallowing the first forkful, Matthew asked, "You're not hungry?"

"Not really…" He pushed his plate away from him. "Why don't you come sit next to me?" Ludwig patted the seat next to him.

"Uh…sure." Matthew slid around the booth to sit next to Ludwig and pulled his plate over.

"You can...come closer...if you want..." Ludwig was looking down at his hands, folded in his lap, blushing again.

"Only if you eat!"

"What?"

Matthew smiled up at him, tilting his head slightly. "I'll only move closer if you eat." He took Ludwig's fork, scooped up some food and held it up to him. "Say 'ah'!"

Ludwig's heart began thudding in his chest, pumping violently in his throat as a hundred butterflies partied in his stomach. He was reminded of his too often daydreaming of Feliciano as his wife. Being with Matthew like this was, as corny as it sounds, a dream come true. He opened his mouth and let Matthew feed him for a while. It was nice. Alas, even this must come to an end. "Matthew, you have to eat too..."

"So you'll eat on your own?" Matt flashed another smile.

"Yeah..." He took his fork back and looked at his plate. It was over half eaten already.

Matthew started eating, and with his mouth full he started, "Ya' know-" He swallowed. "That was kinda fun." He smiled.

"What was?"

"Well...It's been a while since i've been on a date...and...well...it's nice to be...affectionate like that...It's nice..."

"Oh..." They stayed for almost an hour, just talking, occassionally stopping to take a bite of their food. They mostly talked about how aggrevating Alfred and be, how annoying Francis is, and how cute, adorable and loveable Feliciano is. Ludwig didn't use those exact words, but he got the point across. They left without finishing their meals and Matt had insisted on paying since he was the one who asked Ludwig out. On the way to the car, Matthew smiled to Francis, hiding inside, looking out one of the windows.

"So," Matthew started as he climbed into the car. "You're not regretting coming on this date with me, right?"

"What? Why would I regret it?"

"Dani and Nathan. They were watching...But i guess from where you were sitting they wouldn't have seen you...Well, they were watching just me then."

As if he had known the whole time, Ludwig replied, "So that's why you kept looking over there..."

"Yeah..." Matthew pulled out of the lot and drove down the street. "Well, where we're going now...I hope you like it. It's a little too early in the year for the leaves to have changed much, but it should still be nice!"

* * *

**Finally! sorry for taking so long...i kept getting distracted, writing other chapters and other stories...i've got such a short attention span... ^^; and yeah, i kept randomly d'aww-ing while writing this ^^;**


	8. Date Night: Phase 2

Driving for a while, Matthew and Ludwig talked about the restaurant. The food, the décor, it was really nice. When Matthew pulled the car over, they were on an empty road; on one side was a small field, a park maybe? On the other side was a woodsy area, thick trees, leaves mostly green with bits of red and gold. Matthew smiled and said happily, "We're here! Well, almost anyway." He climbed out of the car and stood near the looming trees. "It's through here."

"Matt…" Ludwig hesitated at the car. "Is this alright?"

"Yeah, this is part of Francis' property, but he doesn't come here." He pointed down the road. "His house is maybe a mile that way. Come on!" Matt stepped between two trees and Ludwig followed. Matthew easily weaved his way through the trees, but not so for Ludwig. He was much bigger so he caught more on the branches and things. He ripped his shirt a few times, cursing under his breath. Matthew was much smaller and more nimble. He seemed much more used to traveling like this. He explained a bit more about where they were going, "When I was little, I hung out here a lot. I know Francis' property like I know the back of my hand. He doesn't have a monstrously big house, but he's got a bit of land, and we'd always explore together. He also told me that, whenever I became sad, and wanted to be alone, I'd need somewhere to go, so I picked a spot in the woods and he built a little tree house, just for me! It's still there, but I'm too big to fit anymore." He laughed happily and Ludwig smiled. He didn't even notice the tugs and rips in his shirt anymore. Ahead of him, Matthew stopped. "It's here!" Ludwig stepped into a small clearing, grass grown much higher then on the way there, the sun breaking through the trees. Matthew pointed up at one of the trees. "You see it? It's got branches and stuff grown over it since last I've been in there." Ludwig nodded. Matthew was staring up at it, a smile on his face and a distant look in his eyes. "Ya know something? Thinking back, I adored Francis...But I never told him. He was my only role model, the only one who payed any attention to me." He laughed. "I remember, the thing he'd tell me over and over again when I said I was going to be like him. He'd say, 'Don't be like anyone else, just be yourself. Especially not like Arthur, he's just a stick in the mud.'" Matthew smiled. "I really never gave him enough credit. He raised me himself after Arthur lost interest." He sighed but smiled. "He did his best."

Ludwig looked over at him. He was still staring up at the small tree house, his eyes misty with old memories. He took Matt's hand, making him jump. "Oh! Sorry about that! I just got a little nastalgic..."

"It's not a problem." He looked around. "I can see why you'd pick this place. It's nice and quiet. Secluded, but not too far from home...A great place to be alone."

"That's exactly why I brought you here! It's a great place to just sit quietly and thing. Usually, with so many people at your house, you never have any time to yourself. You told me so yourself! Feliciano, your brother, even Roderich and Elizveta, right? So, I thought it'd be nice to, ya' know, not go out or anything, but to just sit here...together..."

"Oh-uh..."

"U-Unless you'd rather go out somewhere."

Ludwig squeezed his hand and smiled. "No, I like your idea just fine." They settled down, leaned up against the tree-house tree and just sat there. They were there for what seemed like an hour before Ludwig shifted, kicking his leg that had fallen asleep. This was really nice. Just sitting here with Matthew, silent, save for the birds chirping. Matthew had fallen asleep long ago and was leaning on his shoulder, but only now did he notice that he was being drooled on. Gently trying to nudge him awake, he whispered, "Hey, c'mon, get up."

Matthew stirred, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Nh...What is it?" He looked up, still rubbing his eyes, now yawning.

Ludwig turned away quickly, blushing. Damn! Why does he have to be so cute? "Uh...You were kind of...d-drooling on me..."

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to...When did I fall asleep anyway?"

"A while ago."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"You looked comfortable..."

"Oh." Matthew smiled and after wiping Ludwig's shoulder off with his shirt sleeve, he leaned on him again. "Sorry I fell asleep, I had work late last night and didn't get to sleep at all, got home at like, four in the morning." He laughed quietly.

"Where do you work that keeps you out so late?"

"At a bar."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I wait tables and clean up and stuff normally, sometimes I serve drinks at the bar, it's boring really. Anyway, I have work again tonight, eight to midnight..." He grimaced. "I hope they don't give me toilet duty again!" Sighing he added, "I don't think I can stay out too late with you, I need a nap before work."

Ludwig nodded. "You can go back to sleep if you're tired."

"But that wouldn't be fair to you, We're supposed to be on a date."

Ludwig shrugged Matthew off of him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling his close, letting him rest his head against his chest. "You should rest if you're tired."

Matthew blushed. "Kinda much for the first date." He laughed lightly and Ludwig quickly pulled his arm away. "Hey, I was just joking." Matt took Ludwig's wrist and pulled his arm back over his shoulder, leaning his head against his chest again. "You're comfortable."

"Oh-uh...Thanks..." He pulled Matt closer and started stroking his head. "Mm..." Matthew snuggled against him.

"Where'd you get this idea?" He asked softly. Ludwig just looked at him so Matt continued, "This is like a scene from a romance film." Ludwig looked away blushing. "Oh my gosh! you did get it from a movie, didn't you?" He slowly nodded. Matthew laughed and snuggled closer to him. "You're so cute." Ludwig flinched. being called 'cute' wasn't exactly first on his list of things he liked. Nonetheless, he held him tightly. Matthew fell asleep very quickly and though he didn't remember falling asleep, Ludwig did too.

* * *

He woke up, Matt had fallen over, now laying in Ludwig's lap. He smiled and stroked his hair. He looked up just in time to see a flock of birds fly past and he smiled. He continued stroking Matthew's hair, untieing the ribbon to run his fingers through. His hair was so soft. He absently twirled that one curl in his fingers, tugging on it a bit before Matthew let out a loud moan. Ludwig snatched his hand away and Matthew sat up quickly, backing away a bit, slapping his hands over his mouth, blushing deeply.

"Wh-What was that?"

"Oh...um...uhhh, well..." He scooted back over to him and whispered in his ear.

"WHAT? I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

"C-Calm down, it's alright! J-just don't do it again..." Matt smiled awkwardly.

"My God! Feliciano's the same way?" Matthew nodded. "Shit!_ That's _what I've been doing to him all this time?"

"P-please calm down!"

"How can I? After what you just said!" He stood up and started pacing the small clearing.

"Ludwig, please!" He stood as well and wrapped his arms around Ludwig from behind. "Please calm down..."

Ludwig peeled Matthews arms off of him. "It's getting kind of late...You have work, right? Maybe we should go..." Matthew nodded and climbed out of the clearing. Ludwig slapped his hand across his face and hissed, "Dammit! He's upset with me...Why am i so-"

"Ludwig, come on." He smiled brightly and took the taller man's hand, pulling him along. They hadn't made it more than five steps before Matthew caught his foot on a root and fell flat on his face, pulling Ludwig down next to him. "M-maple..." he squeaked as he pulled himself up to kneel on the ground. "Ow...Are you alright?" Ludwig nodded as he stood and dusted himself off to no use. His all white outfit was now beyond saving. Matt was dusting off his chest when Ludwig held out his hand to help him up. Accepting the help, Matthew laughed, "Sorry about that, I guess I wasn't paying attent-OW!" He fell again, clutching at his knee. "Aw man! I ruined Francis' good pants..." There was a hole in the knee of his pants and blood trickled down his leg.

Without another moments thought, Ludwig knelt down next to Matthew and said, "Hop on, I'll carry you." Only after a short pause, Matthew climbed onto Ludwig's back and was lifted up. Matthew apologized for being a burden, and Ludwig simply said, "I's no trouble. I always have to carry Feliciano around because he's always getting himself beat up and asking for my help." They made it to the car safly and began the drive to Ludwig's house. Matthew was much more talkative now, having gotten over their initial awkwardness. He continued talking about unrelated topics until he pulled up in front of Ludwig's house. "We're here!" he said with a giggle as he got out of the car. As they walked up the front path, they could clearly see Feliciano sneaking a peek through the curtains and a few others crowded behind him. "Looks like they're curious."

"Yeah...They're so nosey..."

Matthew smiled. "They were probably just worried. I mean, when I picked you up, you were a nervous wreck. Don't think I didn't notice." He giggled. "But to them, this must be a good sign, me walking you to the door."

Ludwig nodded as he stepped up to the front door. He scratched the back of his head nervously. "So, um...D'ya want to come in for a bit?"

Matthew smiled, but shook his head. "Sorry, I have to get cleaned up and go to work."

"Oh, right...Well, would it be alright if we...w-went out again...sometime?"

Matthew's smile widened as he leaned up, kissing Ludwig's cheek and both their pale faces flushed pink. "Definately! I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

He nodded and watched Matthew walk back to his car, holding his fist against his pounding heart. Matt waved as he got in his car and Ludwig waved back. When the beat-up, red car dissapeared from sight, he opened the door and was imediately approached by the other occupants of his house and Feliciano. "Hey, what happened out there? This guy here-" Gilbert nudged Feliciano, "wouldn't let any of us see!"

"Ludwig! I knew it would work out! I knew it! I kne-Wah!!" Ludwig picked Feliciano up in a big bear hug.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Feliciano hugged him back but said, "For what? I didn't do anything."

"You're lying, you're the one who told him how I feel about him!" He squeezed him tighter.

"Well, we can only assume that your date went well, despite the shape your outfit is in." Roderich smiled as he pulled Elizveta close to him.

She giggled, "What happened to you? Those stains will never come out."

"Umm...We fell..." Ludwig was then pushed into telling the whole story, he did, however, leave out the part about the 'curl' until the end when he took Feliciano to the side and made the most awkward apology of his life.

* * *

Matthew walked, with a slight limp and fresh clothes, into the bar rightly named, 'Monochrome' because of it's monochomatic design. The walls, counters and tables were all black, the floors, chairs and doors white. "Mon ami!" Matt turned to the far corner of the bar. Sitting at the backmost table was, who else but Francis. "Mon cheri! How did it go?" He stood up and ran to him, kissing both his cheeks. Matthews bright smile was all he needed to see. "Magnifique!" He hugged Matthew and when he let go, he smiled warmly. "That's great to hear!"

"Umm, I kind of ruined the clothes I borrowed though..."

"That's fine, what I want to know though, is why did you take him to the tree house?"

"What? How did you know?"

"I was on my way home earlier, and saw your car parked on the side of the road."

"Oh...Well, I wanted to go somewhere quiet...And no, I didn't do anything that _you_ would have done!"

"Well, good! Don't be anyone but yourself!" He laughed loudly until he was shushed by someone sitting at the bar. "Oh, you shush!"

Matthew just smiled as he went in the back to clock in.

* * *

  
**Ugh! what took me so long getting this done?? Damn I'm slow! well, I think this is kinda cute.  
I made up a bunch of stuff, made people horribly ooc...I don't claim to be a good writer xP**


	9. Brother's Dissaproval

Matthew, dressed in his pjs, lay on top of his blanket, trying to get back to sleep. The phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey! Mattie!"

He hadn't heard that voice call him by name in a _long_ time. "Hey, Alfred…What's up?"

"I'm bored, that's what's up. Wanna come over? We can play baseball! Your swing needs work, and you know it."

"No. I don't want to come home with a black eye tonight. No baseball."

"Fine then…hmm…" He thought for a while. "Well, I have video games?"

"Eh…Fine…"

"Cool! Come over now, okay? I'm so bored I think I'm gonna _die_!"

"You're not gonna die…"

"My heart! My heart! Oh, no! I can't feel left arm!" There was a click. "Matt? Are you there? Hello?...He hung up on me!"

* * *

Matthew drove down to Alfred's house, not bothering to change out of his pajamas, a large button down shirt and simple, gray sweatpants. Alfred greeted him quickly and slammed the door. "Damn! It's so cold out!" He was fully dressed, pilot's jacket and all, but he was still shivering. Matthew didn't really feel it; it was nice out, but he knew Alfred was hypersensitive to the cold. Alfred led Matthew to his living room where a pile of blankets lay on the couch and his massive collection of video games were already set out, piled up around his television. Matthew sighed as Alfred turned on his Xbox360 and put his copy of Halo3ODST. "We're gonna play live so I can be a hero!" Matthew looked at him questioningly. "Duh, so I can save you!" Matthew sighed again and Alfred started to set up the game after he snuggled under his blankets again. Alfred was pretty good at this game, Matt knew that, but no one ever beat Matthew at video games. **No one. **Seriously, Matthew never really had anything to do, so he just played games until he had to go to work; but he _let _Alfred win (or in this case, get more kills). He used Alfred's gamertag, _USofAsHero,_ so they could play. "Aw...my cool buddy isn't online today...He's _always _online! You should see him play, he's a beast! His tag is weird though." Matthew looked up at the screen and laughed. _IcedMaple71. _That was his account. They played for a while, but Alfred soon got bored and they switched games. He just kept getting bored and they kept switching games, all ones that Matthew either was already good at, or quickly got the hang of. They played all sorts of games for hours, Alfred winning every game. Matthew had learned long ago that, if you're against Alfred, you should let him win, or he'll never stop challenging you. The gloating was far easier to deal with. "Woo! I win again!"

"Alfred, you can't even _win _against second player in thi-"

"You're just jealous 'cuz you lost!"

"Yeah, that's definitely it..." Matthew sighed and put down his controller. "Can I get something to drink?"

"Yeah, I'll go get some soda." Alfred got up and went into the kitchen. Matthew would have preferred milk at that moment, but his dear older brother probably didn't know what 'milk' was. Alfred came back with a few cans of soda and placed them on the floor in front of them, quickly snuggling under his blankets again. Matt downed a can as he switched games again, this time he picked out Mortal Kombat V. DC Universe. He loved playing as Batman. Every few games, Matthew won, celebrating each game with another soda. For some reason, it was getting difficult to let Alfred win; Matthew had never really been the competitive type. Another thing, Alfred was being awfully quiet about his losses, actually congratulating his brother. Win after win, Matthew became happier and much louder too, switching places with his obnoxious brother as he swayed a bit in his place on the floor. After a while, Alfred jumped up and shouted, "Dammit! This isn't fair!"

"You're just a sore loser!"

"I thought it might be funny to get you drunk, watch you fall over yourself, but all it did was make you _play __better_!"

"Drunk? I'm-I'm not drunk!"

"That's not soda, you never even checked it!"

"I-AM-NOT!" He believed it, he truly did; until he tried to stand. He shot up off the floor and lost his balance, falling in a heap on the floor. "Hrg...Why's the room spinning?"

Alfred laughed. "Okay, I take it back, it's kinda funny now."

Matthew lay on the floor, suddenly not caring. "I let you win..." he muttered.

"Huh?"

"All those times, I _let _you win," He said slowly, making sure Alfred heard every word.

"What?" Alfred flinched back dramatically. "That's impossible!"

Matt snorted from his place on the floor. "What's impossible is you winning a game on your own!"

"Take that back!"

"But it's **true**!" Matthew responded. So he was drunk, oh well; he would have never told his brother that if he was sober. Everyone knew how Alfred hated to lose, and Matthew, though he would never admit it, was slightly afraid of his brother's strength. Oh well. It was kind of fun to see his "hero" brother upset.

"Why don't you leave, Matt?" Suddenly he was very serious.

"Why don't _you_ leave?"

"This is _my_ house!"

_Wow...That was a great comeback..._ Matt was trying to come up with something to say to that and didn't even notice that Alfred had pulled him up and was now leading him toward the door. "No! I don't wanna go! I want to beat you up more!"

"No! You're going home!" Matt pulled against his brother's grip to no avail. Matt wasn't as weak as he looked, but Alfred was still stronger.

"You wouldn't let a drunk man drive home, would you?"

Alfred tapped his chin in quick thought and said, "Yeah, I would, now get out of my house!" He tried to push Matthew out the door, but his younger brother clung to his arm, sobbing now.

"No! I don't wanna go! I don't wanna get in an accident and die! If I die it'll be all your fault! Your fault!"

Alfred flinched. "Fine!" Matt ran back to the living room, stumbling a few times, actually falling flat on his face once, and jumped over the back of the couch. He took another beer and started to drink it, but Alfred leaned over the couch and snatched it away. "No more for you! I don't want you barfing on my stuff!"

* * *

**I guess I'll put the WARNING here. Just for you! You know who you are! xD**

* * *

"No fair!" Matthew reached for the can, grabbing a hold of Alfred's wrist, and pulled hard. Alfred fell over the back of the couch and landed on top of Matthew; the can fell to the floor, spilling out its contents. "Bro! You're such a perv!" Matthew said as he slipped his arms over his brother's shoulders and pulled him down, roughly pressing their lips together. They tasted like hamburgers, even though Matt hadn't seen him eat one since he got there. Oh well.

Alfred managed to pull himself off of his brother and sat on the couch wiping his mouth. "And _I'm_ the pervert?" He had to push his brother away a few times. "Damn, I forgot that you're like Arthur when you're drunk..."

Matthew had, by now, given up on jumping his brother and proceeded to unbutton his shirt slowly as he moaned, "Nhh-It's so **hot **in here!"

"Wh-Agh! Damn it! That's because the heat's on full blast, ya' snowman! K-Keep your clothes on!" Alfred protested, but Matthew was already slipping his arms out of his sleeves.

"I'll only stop if you kiss me!" Wait...That didn't sound right...Well, nothing sounded right to Matthew at the moment, so it _must_ be alright!...Right?

"Dammit Matt! You're not doing this _again_?"

Matthew hummed, "Yes, again!" He crawled up onto Alfred's lap, adjusting himself so that their faces were just inches apart.

Alfred turned away, not wanting to look him in the eye. "J-Just keep your pants on this time, okay?" When Matthew nodded, Alfred gently took his chin in his hand and kissed him. Matthew quickly fisted the neck of his shirt and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He licked Alfred's lips eagerly, and they were parted, granting him entrance. Matthew slipped his tongue in and pulled Alfred's jacked off as he leaned his brother over, laying him down on the couch. He straddled the larger man without breaking the kiss. Finally Alfred pushed him off, gasping for a breath. "You know I'd only do this with you, right? I'm not normally so submissive." Matthew rolled his eyes. Damn, his need to justify himself was so annoying! Matthew couldn't remember clearly, but he did that the last time too. Wait...Was there a last time? "You should be grateful!" Alfred snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, of course I am, mon frère, believe me." Mathew tugged on his brother's shirt, unbuttoning it and pulling it off altogether, then came the undershirt. His chest and stomach exposed, Alfred shivered despite the growing heat in the pit of his stomach. Matt stared down at his brother; at his toned abs, those defined muscles. He always felt a bit insignificant when he saw those, but only a little. He ran his hands over the strong chest beneath him and it jumped up.

"D-Damn! Your hands are so cold!" Alfred writhed and shivered.

"How 'bout we warm them up then?" A devilish grin crossed his lips as he pushed his hands down the front of Alfred's pants.

"AGGH! No-nonono! They're so cold!"

"You're the one who complained!" Matt smirked as his brother squirmed beneath him. "I'm just warming them up for you," Matthew purred close to his ear. He reached down further and wrapped his fingers around Alfred's cock. The insignificant feeling went away.

"Hnn...Matt, what're you doing?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, running his hand up and down his length. He could feel it hardening against his touch.

"Hng-You promised..."

"All I said was that I'd keep my pants on." He moved his hand a bit faster. "My pants are still on!" Alfred's protests were barely heard. All Matthew could hear was a slight buzzing in the back of his head

* * *

**Christine, you can read again! xD**

* * *

Alfred took Matthew's hand and in a final attempt to make him stop, he asked, "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

Matt looked down at him, confused. "I'm g-" Matthew pulled his hands back and frantically searched for his shirt. "Shit! No no no! Damn it!"

Alfred sat up. "You actually have a girlfriend?"

Without looking at his brother he said, "No, I'm gay." He quickly put his shirt on.

"What? You're gay?" Alfred asked, shocked.

Matthew sighed. "Yes, we've been through this already..."

"Oh..." Alfred seemed a bit uncomfortable. "Well, then why did you stop when I said-?"

"I might have a boyfriend, okay?"

Alfred was silent, staring at his brother. "Um, a _boyfriend_?"

"Yes, boyfriend. Do you have a problem with that?" Matthew snapped.

"N-no! I just…Is it someone I know?"

"Uh…Yeah…"

"Who?" Alfred pressed, earlier events forgotten.

"Er-Ludwig…Kiku's friend?"

Alfred's face scrunched in anger. "What?"

"Huh?"

"You're with that **_bastard_**?" Alfred nearly shouted.

"W-What?"

"You don't remember when he attacked Feliks? You don't remember what he did to Francis?"

"O-Of course I do! But they've forgiven him! He's changed!"

"No! I can't let you do this! I'm not gonna let my baby brother get hurt!"

That was it, the last straw. The man in front of him now, this man was his brother. This was the man who never remembered his name even though they grew up together. This man was the reason he always got beat up. People hated this man and always mistook Matthew for him. This man had the nerve to tell him he couldn't be with Ludwig? He was basically denying him happiness. He wanted to protect Matthew? Where the fuck was he all the times he was hurt? All the times it was Alfred's fault? The times he needed his big brother to help him? No more. Matthew's face went bright red and he yelled, "NO! I don't have to listen to you!"

"Yes you do, if you know what's best!"

"What makes you think you know better than me? Is it because you're older? Stronger? Or is it because you're _smarter_ than me?" Those last words dripped sarcasm.

"It's because I know! I had to deal with him and-"

"You were the hero? You bastard! It's because you didn't do anything until the very end that it even got so far!"

"You don't even know-"

"Like hell I don't! I was there too ya' know! I helped, maybe not as much as you did, but I was there! Don't you fucking tell me that I don't know!" Small tears clung to the corners of his eyes.

"Then you should know what he's capable of!"

Alfred didn't see it coming until it was too late. Matt's fist connected with Al's cheek and he fell. Matt snarled, "What he's **_capable_** of? And what about **_you_**?" Before his brother could respond, he ran out the door. He passed his car; with the alcohol in his system, the rage that twisted in his stomach, and the tears that blinded him, he was in no condition to drive.


	10. Brother's Approval: Close friends

**I kinda just thought of something. i really dislike how people say that Francis is taller than Matt and generally call Matt shorter than everyone...He's not cuz he's like, the same height of Alfred...Shorter than Ivan and Ludwig, but Yeah...Everyone is.**

**Ludwig is 180cm, Francis is 175cm, Alfred is 177cm and Mathew is shown as the same height as Al in all the comics they're in together. **  
**Gilbert....it doesn't actually say, but he's made to be shorter than Ludwig anyway...probably like, 175cm or 174cm....that's what it seems...  
And if not, then that's just how i picture him to be.**

**Just had to say that....**

* * *

He walked slowly, heading nowhere in particular. After hours of walking, his headache had gotten worse and worse. The sun had been up, shining in the sky when he left Alfred's house, but now it was long past dark. He eventually ended up in front of Francis' house. Matt patted his pocket less sweatpants and his chest pocket but couldn't find his keys. _I must have left them at Al's house…_He rang the bell, and of course, the day he doesn't have his key's, Francis isn't home. He wandered off again, heading down the side of the road against the forest that was so familiar to him. He thought of going to his tree house, but only for a moment before a car pulled up next to him.

An angry looking blond boy glared at him from the driver's seat as a girl with similar blond hair rolled down the driver's side backseat window. "Are you alright, mister?"

Matthew clutched his head. Her voice was soft, but it made his headache worse. "Er-yes." He forced a smile. "Thank you for asking." He looked back to the glaring boy. "Oh! You're Vash, aren't you?"

"Yes." He looked a bit suspicious.

"Oh, I'm Alfred Jones' brother."

"That idiotic blond with the glasses?" Matthew nodded and Vash said, "I'm sorry for that," with a smirk.

"Thanks. I'm really sorry to ask this, but could you give me a ride to Ludwig's house? You know him right? Big blond, light blue eyes."

"Yes, of course. Hop in," the girl in the backseat said as she slid over and patted the seat next to her. Matt looked to Vash and he nodded. He opened the door, sliding in next to the girl and Vash drove. "He lives near us, right, brother?" He nodded and she continued, "We were on our way home."

"What were you doing out this late anyway? And what're you wearing?"

Matthew looked down at his pajamas and started, "I didn't bother changing this morning. I was at Alfred's house earlier and…we got in a fight…and I walked here."

"Oh! All the way from his house?" Matthew nodded to the girl. "Don't you drive?"

"Well, yeah, but I was angry, so it would have been a bad idea to drive. I left my car at his house and just wandered here."

"Wouldn't it be better if we got your car back?"

"No, I would rather got to Ludwig's house. Besides, it's too out of the way to ask you to bring me back there."

"We're here," Vash said shortly.

"Thank you so much." He smiled. "Oh, my name is Matthew by the way."

"Bye bye. Have a good night, Matthew."

"You too," he said as he got out of the car and they drove off. Matt walked up to the large house. He couldn't see any lights on in the windows. _They must already be in bed._ He rang the door bell and waited a few minutes. No one came down, no lights went on. Matt rang again as he wished Vash had stayed to make sure he actually got in. Still nothing. He sighed and turned away. Maybe Feliciano was up? He started down the walkway when the door opened.

"Matthew?" Roderich stood in the doorway in dark blue, silk pajamas.

"Ohhg…" Matthew groaned as a strong wave of nausea hit him. He fell to his knees and emptied his stomach on the lawn.

"Matt!" Roderich ran to him and knelt down beside him, holding his shoulders with steadying hands. Matthew began to tremble and sob. "Matthew, are you alright?" he asked after he stopped heaving.

Matt spit and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "It was the beer," he managed to choke out the words.

"You were drinking tonight?"

Matthew tried to explain but couldn't speak. Roderich helped him up and lead him into the house. He set him on the couch and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Would you like me to wake Ludwig for you?" Matt nodded and Roderich left the room as Elizaveta walked in wearing a simple, white, knee length night gown. They exchanged a few words that Matthew could not hear, then Elizaveta sat next to him and pulled him close to her chest and stroked his back with comforting shhsh noises.

"You're going to have to calm down so you can tell us what happened." Matthew nodded against her breast as he heard Ludwig's heavy steps on the stairs.

"Matt…" Ludwig stood near the couch in only his underwear. Elizaveta moved away from Matthew, motioned Ludwig to take her place and he did. Matthew had stopped crying when he saw Ludwig. He wrapped his arms around him, making the larger man blush a deep shade of red. He wrapped a strong arm around Matthew and squeezed him lightly. "Are you alright, Matt?" he asked softly. Matthew could hear Ludwig's heart racing. He nodded against the thumping in his chest. "Good. Now what happened?" Elizaveta and Roderich stood nearby.

"W-well, Alfred invited me over," he started slowly. "And he told me it was soda he gave me, but it was some cheap beer…but it tasted good so I didn't notice, then we got in a fight 'cause I was kind of…drunk…He said I wasn't allowed to be with you and brought up what happened a few years ago…when you…lost control…" The two other men in the room flinched. They knew what they had done was wrong, it hurt to have it brought up against them. Matt continued, "And I got fed up with all the things I've had to put up with, his bull…I punched him in the face and left…I walked to Francis' house but he wasn't there, and I left my keys at Al's. Vash drove me here…Then I puked on your lawn…"

"What?" Ludwig's face scrunched up in disgust.

Roderich laughed, "I'll hose it down in a bit."

"Sorry…Um, do you have any aspirin? I have the worst headache…"

Elizaveta quickly said, "I'll get you some dear," preventing Ludwig from leaving. She left the room and Roderich followed close behind.

"Matt…"

"Yeah?"

"You're…you're not going to listen to him, are you?"

"What?" He laughed. "Of course not! I like you, I'm not going to listen to that idiot!"

Ludwig smiled "I'm so glad…"

"Did you doubt me?"

"N-no! I wouldn't-"

Matthew laughed again and snuggled closer.

"Hey! What the hell is that guy doing outside, huh? Watering the fuckin' lawn now?"

"Gilbert, stop cursing."

"I'm not fuckin' cursing!"

Ludwig sighed. "Yeah, unfortunately this is my brother, Gilbert…"

"Gil?" Matthew looked over the back of the couch.

"Matt?"

They both laughed and started speaking in unison. "Hah, I figured it was you." They paused, then again, "I wasn't sure…though…" They started laughing again.

"So, Mattie's you're man?" Gil patted his younger brother on the back. "Approved!"

"What?"

"Your big bro approves if it's Matt!"

"Wait, you already know each other?"

"Ludwig, Gilbert has been a close friend of Francis' forever. Of course I know him."

"Mattie here is one of the most _awesome_ people I know! He makes amazing pancakes!"

Matt smiled. "I didn't know you were brothers. He always told me he had a _little_ brother. You're obviously not little." He laughed.

"You don't remember me introducing you guys?" He was looking at Matt because Ludwig wouldn't have remembered, no one remembered Matthew.

"Now I do, a long time ago. But back then he was actually little! Gilbert is one of my best friends. He has been since I was really little! He's awesome."

Gilbert stood there, soaking in the attention. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed now. Later!"

"G'night-Wait!" Matt called after Gilbert and he came back.

"What?"

"Where'd you get that bruise on your cheek?"

"You don't remember?" Matthew shook his head 'no'. "Dammit, it's from when you hit me at Francis' house the other day!"

Matthew laughed. "It bruised? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard!" He continued to snicker and Gilbert stomped up the stairs as Ludwig asked Matt if he really did that.

When Ludwig knew that Gilbert was out of earshot, he said, "You shouldn't call him awesome, he'll never get better. He'll just keep being rude and disrespectful…"

"Hmn? Oh…I like him the way he is…"

"Really? I would think that you'd get enough shit from _your _brother."

"Our brother's are a lot different you know. Like, when Gilbert makes fun of someone, he's just being funny, having a good time, just to liven up the mood. When Alfred does that, he's serious, he means for the terrible things he says and does to hurt." He sighed. "Al's too stupid to lie."

Ludwig nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right...Well, you want me to take you home now?"

"No, I was actually hoping to stay here tonight. I don't want to deal with Alfred just yet; he's probably furious with me for hitting him. Plus,  
I left my keys and cellphone at his house, I'd have to get them to even get into my house...and I have a headache...Wait, didn't Elizaveta say she'd get me-"

"I'm here! Sorry, Matthew, I was talking to Roderich." She handed him a small pill bottle and a cup of water. He took a couple as Ludwig stood.

"Matt, you can stay, okay? C'mon, let's get you to bed now. You've had a rough day..." Matt nodded and followed Ludwig to the stairs. He turned to Elizaveta and Roderich.

"I'm really sorry for waking you up at this hour. If Francis had been home, I wouldn't have had to come here."

From upstairs came Gilbert's voice, "He's at a party!"

"It's no problem, Matthew." Roderich smiled warmly.

"_We_ weren't even supposed to be here tonight," Elizaveta continued. "Roderich didn't want to leave though."

Matthew nodded and followed Ludwig up to the bedrooms, taking his hand as they walked. Ludwig quickly lead him past the only empty room to his. "Um, Ludwig..." He pulled him in and closed the door behind him.

"Matthew, are you really okay?" He seemed worried.

Matt smiled but shook his head. "Not really..." He shuffled close to Ludwig, wrapping his arms around his midsection and leaned his head against his shoulder. "My brother is probably furious with me, I _hit_ him. I'm afraid of what he might do...I'm not okay..." Ludwig led him over to his bed and sat him down, sitting next to him. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close as Matthew started sniffling, trying not to cry again. Crying never solves anything. He mumbled on, "And, I still can't see straight...And my head is still pounding..." He snuggled in the crook of Ludwig's neck and felt his rapid pulse on his nose. He smiled. "But being with you makes me feel better..."

"Th-...I'm glad..." Ludwig squeezed him tightly. Matt pulled away from him and quickly kissed his lips.

"Thanks, Ludwig..." He looked up at him, smiling. "Thanks..." Ludwig took Matthew's chin and pulled it up, clumsily pressing his lips to Matt's. Matthew squeeked in suprise but quickly relaxed in Ludwig's arms and kissed him back. It was a short kiss; Ludwig quickly pulled away, apologizing. "Don't be sorry. It was nice." He snuggled into his arms and started dozing off.

"W-wouldn't it be better if you whent to the other room to sleep?" Ludwig asked.

"Nah..." he said slowly. "I want to stay with you...if that's okay?"

"Y-Yeah! Sure..." Ludwig let go of Matthew who pulled the blankets down and snuggled underneath. Ludwig stood to turn off the lights then got under the blankets, keeping a comfortable distance between them. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling until he heard Matthew's soft snoring, then fell asleep himself.

* * *

**Lol, boring ending for this chapter! Also, awkward kiss time! xD  
Also, everything seemed to go by so quickly in this chapter...**

**Also, I just know that AFTER I submit this, I'm gonna find something wrong with it...**

**Yeah...i already made a ton of corrections....**


	11. Brother's Approval: Gil's love

****

Okay...this fic is getting way longer than I originally intended...Everyone who's kept up with me, I really wanna thank you, but also warn you that there's gonna be... -starts counting on fingers- probably 6 more chapters after this ^^; _helluva_ lot longer than I intended...  
Than there's that_ other_ thing too... .  
(tell ya'll about that later)

**Also, I went back and reread this fic and found so many inconsistencies it makes me want to cry! T_T I mean, i never claimed to be a very gifted writer, but the stupid mistakes make me want to crawl into a ball...and hide in the emo corner...and rewrite this whole thing...but it would take to long and I'm impatient...  
**

**Anyway, enjoy this suffocatingly fluffy chapter that has nothing to do with Ludwig/Matt! ~le gasp! personally though, this is my favorite chapter so far ^^;**

* * *

Ludwig woke slowly, shutting his eyes against the harsh, morning light streaming in through his window. He eventually got used to the light and stared up at the ceiling until he became aware of another person in his bed, shifting to get comfortable, cuddled against his side. "Feliciano, what have I told you about..." He looked down and saw a head of blond hair and remembered. "Matt..." He wrapped his arms around the man next to him who, unconciously did the same. Ludwig pulled Matthew's head against his chest and buried his nose in the soft, wavy, blond hair. He quickly fell back to sleep only to be woken up again.

"Ludwig!" Roderich shook his shoulder. "Get up! You'll be late for work!"

Ludwig sat up quickly, looked at his clock and hopped out of bed, cursing. He scrambled to get dressed as Roderich shook Matthew awake.

"Hey, Ludwig is leaving. If you want a ride home you should-"

"Is it okay is i stay here? I wanna sleep some more..." he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"You can stay, I'll bring you to Alfred's to get your things after I get back, okay?" Ludwig said as he headed for the bedroom door.

"Wait!" Matthew jumped out of bed and ran over to Ludwig, catching him in a big bear hug. He leaned up and kissed his cheek as he said, "Come back safely." Ludwig's cheeks began burning a deep red color and he could feel Roderich staring at him, which only made it worse.

"Er-that was for...?"

"Habit. I would always tell Francis to 'come home safely' when I was little. It seems that whenever I didn't say it, he'd get hurt...Anyway, you gotta get to work now!" Matthew pushed him out the door and called down the hall after him, "Come back safely!" Yawning, he shuffled back to the bed. he snuggled under the covers and quickly fell back asleep. Roderich smiled and left the room, turning off the light and closing the door behind him.

* * *

Matthew rolled over against a warm body and wrapped his arm around it, snuggling close. "Nh..." After a while, he decided to sit up and saw Gilbert sleeping next to him. "Hey, wake up, Gil."

"Ng-five more minutes..."

Matt shook him. "C'mon! Get up!" When Gilbert just rolled over, Matthew took to Feliciano's preferred method of 'wake up call.' He rolled the sleeping Gilbert over so that he was on his back, fully open for assault, and stood over him. However, Matthew took mercy on him, not landing on his vital regions, but his chest.

"G-ack! Fuck!" Gilbert rolled over, knocking Matt off of him, sucking in as much air as he could. "God damn it!" Matthew was laughing hysterically by now. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Y-You wouldn't wake up!" Matthew replied through his laughter.

Gilbert pushed him over and sat up. "Well, I'm up now, what did you want?" he scowled.

"You smell fruity."

The albino was silent for a long while. "_That's_ what you woke me up for?"

"Well, you never wear cologne, you said you were allergic to perfumes."

"When did I ever say that?"

"Oh, sorry, you're too _awesome _for cologne."

"So I felt like wearing it, what of it?"

"N-Nothing, I was just wondering." They both laid down and Matthew cuddled against Gil. "I like it." He nuzzled Gil's neck.

If he didn't know Matt as well as he did, Gil would've thought he was flirting. Matthew was just like that. "I did it for you..."

"What?"

"This is the stuff you got me last year...I never wore it, but i kept it. I know you liked it a lot..."

Matthew sat up and looked down at Gilbert. "Gil...are you-"

"I've always thought you were really awesome." He smiled, but not his usual smirk; it was nervous and awkward. "Ever since you were little...and..."

"No-Gil, please don't say-"

"I love you Matt..." Gilbert sat up as Matthew hid his face in his hands.

Matt sniffled, he wouldn't cry; crying never helped anything. He asked, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"You would have just rejected me anyway, even before you were with Ludwig..."

Matthew shouted, "You don't know that!"

Gilbert wrapped his arms around Matt and pulled him close. "Calm down, please... It's fine, _I'm_ fine. and I'm sorry for just climbing into bed with you."

"It's not fine...How long have you-?" Matthew started.

"Since you were little, I didn't tell you then cuz that'd make me a pervert, confessing my love to a six year old."

"Th-then-"

"_And_," Gilbert interrupted, "I didn't tell you because, how could I give up being by myself? Being alone is way too much fun!" His usual smirk spread across his face.

"But...we could have been alone together..." Matthew cuddled up against the albino man's chest so he failed to see the twitch his words caused.

"Er...You know something, though? I'm glad you're with my brother. You shoulda' seen him yesterday! He was so happy that he didn't even care that I broke his chair!"

"How did you-?"

"Don't ask. Anyway..." His voice trailed off.

"I'm sorry Gil...If I knew, i would have-"

"No, I'm sorry."

"For what?" He looked up and the albino had his usual smirk.

"Gotcha!"

"What?"

Gilbert laughed. "I lied! Confessions like that are really lame anyway!" His smirk never faltered as he laughed.

Matt started to beat on Gilbert's chest. "You jerk!" he screeched. "You had me convinced! You're a terrible person!"

"Mein Gott! You're just too gullible! I couldn't help it!"

Matthew pushed Gilbert off the bed and curled up under Ludwig's blanket. "Jerk!"

"Aw! Come on! Well, I _did_ skip work so that I could hang out with you. Told Ludwig I felt sick."

Matthew was silent for a long moment before he patted the bed next to him. Gilbert cuddled against him, pressing his chest to Matt's back and wrapping his arms around the blond's waist. "I'm sorry, Matt."

"Yeah, but don't you _dare_ do something like that again!" He snuggled down and quickly fell asleep.

Gilbert lay still for a moment before he sat up, looking down at Matthew. The younger man had always been able to fall asleep whenever he wanted, even when he was mad. Gil reached down and gently stroked his cheek, pushing the golden blond hair away from his face. "Yeah...Just a joke..." He leaned down, cupping Matt's chin in his hand and lightly kissed him. "Ich liebe dich mein kleiner Pfannkuchen..." He smiled. "I love you, Matt..." Then he heard it; a small gasp. Matthew was asleep, so it couldn't have been him. Gilbert looked at the door and saw a camera lense shining in the small space the open door offered. A video camera. A person's frame behind it; a face. Elizaveta. Gilbert jumped out of bed and before she could escape, he took her wrist strongly in his hand and whispered harshly, "What the fuck? Why would you do that?"

She explained quickly, all in one breath, "I'm sorry! I saw you two sleeping together and thought it was cute so I got my camera and then I saw Matthew wake up so I his here and I saw the whole thing. I'm sorry!" She stopped to catch a breath, looking at him. He looked away. "You love him, don't you?"

He pulled her into the room and closed the door. "What does it matter how I feel? It won't make a difference."

"It might have if you told him."

"It's better this way. Now Ludwig can forget all about being mopey over Feliciano."

"Why didn't you tell him?

"I like being alone, it's too-" He was silenced when Elizaveta slapped him across the face. He did nothing in return, just looked down at his feet, rubbing his cheek.

"Why didn't you tell him?" she demanded quietly but firmly.

Gilbert was quiet, staring at the floor. Finally he said softly, "I tried, but whenever I did I would end up changing the subject...I could never get the words out to him..."

"And now that you finally got the guts to tell him, you played it off as a joke?" Gilbert nodded. "Why?"

"You saw how upset he was..." He looked over at Matthew, sound asleep.

"But now he's mad at you..."

"But he's not sad." Gilbert sat down on the bed next to Matthew and layed down. For a while, all was quiet, Elizaveta stood patiently the entire time. After a long silence, Gilbert said, "Gimme the camera." She passed it to him and sat on the edge of the bed, next to him. Gil rewound the tape and watched up until his awkward smile and paused it. "I looked really stupid..."

Elizaveta sighed. "I thought it was cute." She stood and kissed Gil's foreheadand turned to leave.

"Wait, your camera." He held it out to her.

"You're not going to take the tape?"

"No...But if you show _anyone,_ I swear I will-"

"I would never." She took the camera and Gilbert snuggled under the blanket against Matthew. "Hey, Gil?" He looked over to her. "Why are you guys so close together? I mean, Matt's dating Ludwig..."

"Huh? This is normal for us."

"How can that be normal?"

"He was raised by Francis, remember."

"Oh yeah...Well, sleep tight." She left, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Francis' phone rang and he shivered with a giggle as it vibrated in his front pocket to 'God Save the Queen.' Why did he have a ringtone that honored the British queen? Gilbert wondered as he watched his friend answer the call. "Oui, mon amour?" There was a long pause and Gilbert could almost hear the buzz of Arthur's voice on the other end. Francis sighed. "Oui, bring him here." He hung up and turned to Antonio and Gilbert. "It seems mon petit Mathieu is very unhappy with the English side of our 'family' so he's coming here."

"Aw! If I had brought my little bro they could have chilled!"

"No, Matt is probably going to want to be alone..."

They waited almost twenty minutes before Arthur pulled up to Francis' house. A small, pale boy with wavy blond hair, a singular curl hanging in front of his face, and big indigo eyes climbed out of the back seat of the car. He couldn't ave been older than seven years. Francis ran over to him with flambouyant hand gestures. "Mon fils!" He swept the small boy up in his arms and held him close, the boy cuddling against him. Francis walked around the car to the driver's seat and looked in the window. "I will call you later, mon amour, to figure out where he will stay in the future, oui?"

"Whatever you stupid _frog_." Arthur drove away and Gilbert watched as another blond boy waved energetically through the back windsheild.

"Well, Mathieu, what's wrong?" Francis asked as he pet his hair.

"Alfred is mean..." He snuggled close to the Frenchman.

"Would you like to come in? I will make you anything you want to eat."

"No...Can I just go?"

"Sure." He put Matthew down and patted his head. "Make sure you're home before dinner though, alright, mon petit ange?" Matthew waved over his shoulder as he walked to the edge of the woods near Francis' house.

"Hey! You gonna let him go in there? All by himself?" Gilbert asked, disbelieving. Antonio payed them no mind as he made his way back to the house.

"He knows what he's doing," Francis started. "He's not a baby. He's just going to his tree house."

After only a few agonizingly long minutes, Gilbert lost it. "I'm going to get him."

"But, mon chéri, he wants to be alone, or else he wouldn't have gone to his tree house."

"I don't give a shit!" He stormed outside and headed for the woods. He thought of all the times he'd said he wanted to be alone. Said that he _liked _being alone. He thought of all those times he _lied_. Being alone is a terrible thing, _especially_ when you're upset. He could imagine how empty Matthew must feel, having felt it himself. He climbed btween two trees and trecked on. Maybe he should have asked Francis _where_ exactly Matthew's tree house was before he ran off like that...After what seemed like ages of wondering, he finally found a small, worn path and followed it to a small clearing. He could hear quiet sniffles and a chocked sob. Matthew was trying not to cry. "Oi, Matt! Where are you?" Gilbert called softly.

"What?" Gilbert looked up at the sound of the soft voice and saw Matthew's pale face peeking out of the trap door of a small tree house. "Gilbert, what're you doing here?"

"I came to keep you company."

"But I don't-"

"Don't make me go back now, I'll get lost for sure!"

Matthew sighed and his face dissapeared from view. Moments later, a rope ladder was thrown down to the albino and he climbed up, just barely fitting through the door. "Jeez, it's so cramped in here!" he said as he pulled his legs close.

Matthew was rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "You're the one who wanted to come up here!"

"Yeah, I know. Was just sayin'. So, why are you out here all alone?"

"It's nothing new...I'm always alone..." he sighed.

Gilbert was quiet for a moment before he said, thoughtfully, "I'm always alone too...It sucks..." He spread his arms wide. "But, why don't we be alone together?"

Matthew's eyes welled with tears as he quickly wrapped his arms around Gilbert, pressing his face into the older man's chest. Gilbert wrapped his arms around Matthew and pet his hair. "It's okay-wanting to cry on someone, alright? If you're embarassed to cry in front of Francis, you can always come to me when you're sad if you want." He rubbed Matt's back. "It's alright." Eventually, Matthew cried himself to sleep in Gilbert's arms and the platinum blong haired man held him close.

* * *

Gilbert lay in his bed, sound asleep. That was until someone shook him awake. He opened his eyes and saw a pale face framed with ruffled golden hair. "Hn...What is it, Matt?"

A twelve year old Matthew shuffled his feet and muttered, "I had a bad dream...and Francis and Antonio aren't going to bed yet...Can I sleep with you?"

Gilbert smiled sleepily. "Sure thing, Mon petit ange," he added with a near flawless French accent.

Matthew laughed as he crawled under the blanket. "You'd better not let Francis catch you calling me that."

"What's that croissant gonna do about it?"

Matthew laughed even harder. "If he's a croissant, then you have to be a potato!"

"Oh yeah?" Gilbert started as he wrapped and arm around Matthew and ruffled his already messy hair. "If I'm a potato, what're you?"

Matthew thought for a moment, tapping his chin lightly. "I'm a pancake drowned in maple syrup!" He pushed away from Gilbert, laughing.

"Awesome! I love pancakes!" He laughed. "I guess I'll just have to call you mein kleiner Pfannkuchen from now on!"

Matthew took a moment to translate his new nickname and laughed. "My little pancake!" He hugged Gilbert and kissed him lightly on the cheek before they cuddled down to sleep.

* * *

"Wake up!"

Gilbert woke up suddenly, gasping for the breath he lost. "Wh-What?" He was a bit panicked, still seeming to be asleep until he saw Francis. "What're you doing in my house, Frenchie?" There was no anger in the way he said 'Frenchie;' just a playful nickname. Complete contrast to the way Arthur always said it.

"Un, this is not _your_ house. Duex, I'm here to tell you something. I went to see Alfred earlier and he has the worst black eye ever! When I asked him about it, he just ignored me."

Gilbert laughed. "How did _that_ happen? Heh-I feel bad for whoever hit him! they're really gonna get it!"

"Trois, why are you sleeping with mon petit ange in Ludwig's bed?"

"He slept with Ludwig last night and when he left, I cuddled with him..." Gilbert turned to the sleeping Canadian and gently shook his shoulder. "Matt, get up." Matthew stirred and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "Matt, Francis just told me the funniest thing! Alfred must've gotten punched or something; he's got the worst black eye ever!"

Matthew's eyes went wide with fear. "What? I-I hit him that hard?"

''Quoi? Tu as fait cela?'' Francis gasped.

Matthew nodded. "Yeah, that was me...He's why I came here in the first place! I went to your house, but you weren't there, and I forgot my key's at Al's..."

"Oh! Je suis désolé! Matt...I was out...Well, why don't we go get your keys from Alfred? I'll drive." Francis patted the younger blond's back.

"But Ludwig said he'd bring me."

Gilbert jumped out of bed and shouted, "No! I'll drive!" He quickly pulled Francis' keys from his pocket and stood by the door. "Let's go!"

Matthew sighed and got out of bed. Brushing past Gilbert he said, "I'm still mad at you, you know."

Gilbert shrugged as Matthew left the room. Francis shot him a questioning glance but Gil ignored it and walked out of the room.

* * *

**See! nothing to do with Matt/Ludwig! I've always thought Matt/Gil was cute, and so far this is _deffinately_ my favorite chapter! =D**

**Oh, if it's a little confusing, when Gil goes to sleep after the thing with Elizaveta, those are two dreams he's having of the past...Oh, and the French and German bits, it's all translated in context, but if you don't know something, or if i made a mistake, tell me please! and i'm sorry, it seems my grammer's been getting worse ^^;**

**Thanks to everyone who's still reading this fic! hugs to all! xD**

Edit: 6/19/10: thanks bemysacrifice, for correcting my French!


	12. Brother's Approval: Alfred's Apology

**Here's another chapter that has no Ludwig! Im sorry, I'll get to it...**

**So, uh, it's been brought to my attention that Matt seems the bit of a whore, like he's throwing himself at people...he kinda is...but he was drunk...and he was raised by Francis and has learned from him that physical contact is affection...and he's a very affectionate guy... ^^; **

**AND I'M SORRY I TOOK FOREVER! my family is mean...not letting me use the computer T_T FORGIVE ME!  
Here, have some family BONDING!**

* * *

Matthew shifted nervously in the back seat of Francis' car. He might've felt better if Ludwig were with them. He was stronger than all of them after all, and if Alfred tried anything, they'd have been safer with the larger of the German brothers. Well, they were going to Alfred's house and there wasn't anything Matthew could do about it. Unless, of course, he jumped out of the care right then, but that might be more painful than getting beat up by his older brother, what with Gilbert's reckless driving.

Francis turned around in the front passenger's seat and read Matthew's face. "Do not worry, mon petit ange, everything will be alright. He will do nothing to you, I promise." He smiled sweetly at Matthew and he nodded, flashing a smile of his own. Francis turned around and said something quietly to Gilbert, but Matt couldn't hear what. He looked to his side and just stared out the window untill the quickly passing scenery made him dizzy. He folded his hands in his lap and stared down at them. His brother wasn't exactly the most forgiving man on the planet, and rational thought was frequently lost on him. Matthew sighed and leaned his head back and oddly enough, fell into a peaceful sleep.

_"Matthew!" _

The Canadian's eyes fluttered open to see Gilbert twisted around, looking back at him from the driver's seat. He yawned as the two in the front seat slipped out of the car. Gilbert opened the back door for Matthew and he nodded, climbing out a bit clumsily, leaning on the door for support. Francis walked ahead of them and rang Alfred's doorbell. Gilbert followed and Matthew lagged behind. When Matt stepped up to the door, he heard a rattling noise before it was pushed open. Alfred stood in the doorway, dressed only in his blue boxers, holding an icepack to his left cheek, scowling.

"Oh, Matt...What a pleasant surprise." He said, sarcastically. His gaze wondered lazily from side to side, avoiding contact with the three men that now stood at his door. "What do you want?"

"Mon fils," Francis addressed him, "It seems that your brother left his things here yesterday and we only came to retreive them."

Matthew cleared his throat and asked quietly, "Would you mind if we came in?"

"All of you?" He looked up at Matthew and sighed. "Yeah, come in..." He led them to the living room, video games still littering the floor. Alfred flopped on the couch, still holding the icepack against his cheek and muttered, "Stuff's on the table..." He picked the remote off the arm of the couch and turned the TV on. Matt sat in the arm chair next to the couch, Francis and Gilbert stood on either side of the chair like body guards. Alfred glanced over at them. "I thought you came for your stuff. It's right there, take it and go..." He started flipping through channels.

Matt cleared his throat and opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed his mouth, pressing his lips in a tight line. Nearly five awkward minutes passed before Matthew finally said something. He sighed, "Alfred, I'm really sorry...I lost my temper yesterday, and I'm really, _really_ sorry! I-I...C-can you f-forgi-"

"Matt." Alfred sat up on the couch and looked at his brother. "I've been thinking."

Gilbert laughed. "Really, you were? That's a first!" Before Alfred could get mad at Gil, Matthew smacked him into silence.

"You-...What were you thinking about?" Matthew asked quickly.

"Er...well..." He was quiet for a moment then muttered, "I've never really done this before so..." He took a deep breath and blurted out, "I'm sorry, Matt." He looked away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I said, and you had every right react the way you did...even though that kinda hurt...I'm sorry Matt, I forgive you...can you...ya' know..."

Matthew smiled. "I'll forgive you as soon as you answer me this. Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

"Eh-what?" Alfred stood up. "What're you talking about?"

"Well, one, I've never kept your attention for more than a minute, I mean, yesterday was the vidoe games but...well, you like, never talk to me..." He eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, I'm your brother." He pouted angrily as he lowered the icepack, showing off a pretty nasty black eye.

"S-sorry...It's just a little hard to believe...I mean, you and Arthur...neither one of you ever really aknowledged me..." Everything was quiet for a while. Alfred sat back down, hugging a couch pillow and pulling his feet up onto the couch. Matthew cleared his throat once again and started, "I forgive you..." he stood. "And I'm still sorry I hit you..."

Alfred stood as well. "It's alright, I was being a jerk," he patted his younger brother's shoulder.

"C'est merveilleux!" Francis shouted with his usual flambouyance, latching onto Gilbert. "L'amour triumphs in the end! How 'bout a hug, hmn?"

"Eh, why not." Alfred shrugged and pulled Matt's arm and caught him in a tight hug and the thinner blond wrapped his arms around his brother, smiling brightly.

"Et..." Francis smiled his 'I'm thinking naughty things' smile and added seductively, "Et un baiser?"

"Francis!" Gilbert and Matthew both shouted, both blushing. Alfred looked confused for a moment. "Hold on, I know what this means..." He held a finger out to the others to hush them. After a moment, he smirked a smirk that rivaled the awesomely awesome smirk of the awesomely awesome Gilbert. "Oh my, is _this_ what it means?" He took Matthew's waist and dipped him over his arm. He cupped Matthew's cheek in his free hand and pressed their lips together. Gilbert stopped halfway through punching Francis, his arm still raised, fist tight, to stare at the scene before him. Francis lowered his arms and stood up straight from his cowering position and blushed. "Mon Deiu..."

Matthew found himself kissing back before he even knew what was happening. He parted his lips for Alfred's exploring tongue, but just as the pink muscle passed over his teeth, Matthew pushed his brother away. "Wh-what do you think you're doing? I already told you that I have a boyfriend!"

"You didn't seem to care when you jumped me last night. I mean, you even had your hands down my pants!" Alfred smiled innocently.

Matthew's eyes widened as he whipped his head toward his best friends, hoping desperately that Alfred didn't say what he thought he just said. Nope, of course he did...Gilbert and Francis were staring back, equally wide-eyed. They said nothing. Gilbert's surprised face turned quickly to annoyance then anger as he stalked past Alfred and out of the house. They watched after him until the front door slammed.

"Mon petit, why did you-"

"He gave me the fruity alchohol! He said it was soda, I didn't know!" He turned to his brother, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it, instead heading quickly for the door. "Gilbert, wait!"

Francis and Alfred stood watching Matthew's back. Francis sighed, "I'll talk to him, mon fils, there should be no fighting amongst the family."

"We argue with Dad all the time..."

"Ah, but that's tradition!" He hugged his older 'son' and kissed his cheek "Good bye, Alfred."

* * *

"Gilbert," Matthew ran out the door to see Gilbert kicking the back of Francis' car, yelling profanities as he clutched his foot in pain, hopping on the other. Matthew stood still until Gilbert turned to him. "Matt...How could you do this to" _Me..._ "My brother...you just started dating him and already you're all over someone else? Your BROTHER no less!"

"Gilbert, I'm so sorry, he gave be the fruity beer...I thought it was soda...and i drank too much..." He didn't look away from Gilbert, looking away would make him guilty. "I swear, i never meant to..."

Gilbert was silent for a long while. he looked away from Matthew down at the dent he put in Francis' car. "I won't tell West...Just...No more drinking unless Francis or me is around, okay?"

"...How about I just don't drink at all?"

"...But that's not fun..." he looked at Matthew for a moment and sighed, "Alright..."

Francis stepped up to them, jingling Matthew's keys in his hands "Forget something?"

Matthew took his keys and cell phone from Francis and turned toward his own car in his brother's driveway. "I'm going home, if you don't mind..." Francis nodded and kissed his cheek while Gilbert just waved.

* * *

**Boring ending is boring! also, Alfred's a jerk...i swear, this fic will get more interesting!...eventually!...i hope ^^;**


	13. Burning Love

**Okay, I've been re-reading this fic, over and over, trying not to vomit from the terrible writing as I tried to remember what the HELL I was going to write for after this! D: I know what happens later, but I need something for this one chapter so I can like, ease into it...and I can't remember what i originally planned! oh well...Have something random! In first person! I'm trying something new.**

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It's been nearly two weeks since I last saw my brother, and that's just fine. He's a terrible person and I don't care if I never see him again. As long as I have Papa, Gilbert and Ludwig, I can be happy for a lifetime. Oh, and I could never forget Feleciano either! Ludwig and I haven't been together for very long, but I've already grown so attached to him. He's so serious and sometimes even scary, but it's so easy to forget that, seeing his awkward smile, the way his cheeks flush pink when he's embarrassed, and the way his big arms feel when they're wrapped around me. Those are only a few of the things that came to mind as I sat, snuggled up next to him in his living room, his strong arm around me as we watched TV. I want to see that smile, those blushing cheeks, all the time. He's so, dare I say it? Cute! I wanted to see that smile, so I snuggled closer, rubbing my cheek slightly against his chest (I really do like the feel of his muscles!) and slipped my arm behind his back so I could lace my fingers together at his side. He flinched and I looked up at him. That surprised look, his bright blue eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar in a silent gasp, cheeks quickly turning that lovely shade of pink. Then that smile, upper lip pulled up on only one side, curling at the edge, showing only some teeth, his brow knitted tightly in the middle. He's so irresistibly adorable. An expression like that is just begging to be kissed. I leaned up, touching my fingertips gently to his cheek and pressed my lips to his (it will always surprise me how soft they are). He flinched again, but pressed back ever so slightly and I couldn't help but smile. "Wh-what was that for?" he asked in his gruff, deep voice when I finally pulled away. "Do I really need a reason to kiss my boyfriend?" I responded with a question in my own soft, sickly sweet voice.

Gilbert laughed that annoying, endearing laugh of his from the armchair. He raised the brown bottle in his hand to his lips and mumbled into the mouth of it, "Mein kleiner bruder is so not awesome, needing a reason for something like that." He tipped his head back and finished off the beer, tossing the bottle to the floor where it rolled under the couch Ludwig and I were sitting on

Ludwig spoke to his brother calmly, "Bruder, pick that up, this isn't your house."

"Yeah it is," Gilbert snorted back.

"No, this is my house, you're just living in it. A freeloader."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, but I quickly hushed when Gilbert sent me a warning look. I stood up. "It's okay, I'll get it." Gilbert rose quickly and plucked the bottle up off the floor. I sat down and cuddled against Ludwig as the seething albino disappeared into the kitchen.

Ludwig looked down at me, an incredulous look plastered across his face. He whispered lowly, "How did you do that?"

"He hasn't let me clean up after him since I was small, and he's always offered to do things for me. I think I'm the only one he's actually nice to!" I gave him a toothy grin, shutting my eyes and tilting my head ever slightly, just to add to the cute factor. It worked. When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me, eyes widened and that beloved, pink blush across his cheeks.

Okay, I admit, I do this on purpose, just to get a reaction out of him, but he just makes it so _easy_! I've almost got him completely figured out (almost), and one thing I know for sure is the type of guy he likes; cute, childish, feminine, not exactly helpless but someone that _needs_ him. Technically I _am_ all those things (but I could've gotten along just fine without meeting him. though now that I have, I don't think I can be without him!), but I still play it up a bit. I just can't help it, when I act all cute and childish, he either thinks it's cute (I know because he blushes), or he gets annoyed at me, so I just pout and he can't resist! It sounds very manipulative, I know, but it's not like I'm doing anything bad, just trying to make him smile!

I tapped the tip of my finger on his nose and said softly, "You're so cute when you blush, you know that?" There he goes. That light tinge of pink in his cheeks quickly turned tomato red and his eyes went so wide they looked as though they could burst from his skull. I stood quickly and headed toward the stairs, leaving him in confusion. "I'm going to get ready for bed, 'kay?" I said, hopping up the stairs two at a time. I heard Gilbert's snarky voice, "Th'hell's up with your face?"

I made my way down the hall to Ludwig's room and threw the door open in a fit of giggles. "Oh he's just sooooooo c~ute!" I ran (I wasn't skipping, just so you know) to my overnight bag to take out some pajamas but then I got a better idea. I ran (still not skipping!) to Ludwig's closet and opened it quickly. I started looking through his clothes (I'm not a pervert!), and I saw the suit he wore on our first date. "Aw..." I smiled to myself but pushed it aside. Not what I was looking for. I pulled out a white button-down shirt, not especially fancy, just something to wear. I held it up in triumph, but something caught my eye on the top shelf of his closet; a box with a colorful magazine sticking out of it. Ludwig is the type to compulsively organize, clean and reorganize things, so I kinda found it odd. I tossed the shirt to the bed and pulled the box down to fix it, but...maybe I shouldn't have... I could feel my face getting hot and my stomach did a back flip. The whole freakin' box was full of dirty magazines! I tried to push it back up onto the shelf, but it tipped over and most of them fell out right on top of me! ...So glad that no one was there to see it... As I scrambled to put all the magazines back in the box in a way that no one would know what happened, I made a few...observations. All the porno mags had something in common, something that made my heart sink: big, busty women.

"Matt!"

I turned around quickly at the sound of Gilbert's voice, his jaw slack and eyes wide as saucers from the sight of me hovering over Ludwig's dirty magazines. "I-I wasn't-! They fell on me! I wasn't- You know I wouldn't-!" I tried to defend myself as Gilbert quickly made his way to me after shutting the door. I turned away from him and tried to turn invisible (I know I can't really do that, but sometimes I might as well be), but he surprised me by kneeling next to me and wrapping his arms tightly around me. "G-Gil?"

He pulled away, placing a hand on my shoulder and gently ran his thumb over my eye with the other. "You were crying." He showed me the tears that had dampened his thumb. I gasped and quickly pulled away from him, rubbing my eyes vigorously with the back of my hand. Gilbert kissed my forehead and started packing the magazines neatly into the box. "West is such a freakin' pervert... Heh, no wonder you two get along so well!" He started laughing that obnoxious laugh of him. Gilbert was trying to cheer me up, I could tell, but I wasn't exactly in the laughing mood and he knew it. He hugged me again and rubbed my back. "What's wrong?" he asked in a soft, comforting voice, one I know no one but me has ever heard come from him. "So what if Ludwig's a closet pervert?" Suddenly the door knob rattled. I tried to pull away from Gilbert's embrace, but he wouldn't let me. It rattled again but didn't open.

"Matthew, are you in there? Why'd you lock my door?"

Gilbert looked over at me, a look of concern on his face, not letting go of me. "Matt's in here, bruder."

"Why's my door locked?" Ludwig seemed to be panicking a bit, worried about me.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch! We're just talkin'. Now if you would mind kindly BUGGING OFF that'd be great! This is a private conversation!" Gilbert squeezed me closer, smothering me with his chest.

There was a long silence on the other side of the door before Ludwig spoke again. "Matthew?" his voice questioning.

I was finally able to pull away from Gilbert's embrace. I wiped by eyes before saying, "Ludwig, we're just talki-"

"See! Just talking, now get your fat German butt downstairs! I'll send your boyfriend down when we're done, okay?" There was a soft grunt from the other side of the door then footsteps toward the stairs. We waited silently as the sound faded. "There, now, tell me what's on your mind."

I was silent for a long while before whispering, "I...I keep forgetting that Ludwig is...straight...I'm...I'm just scared he...he won't like me...You know..."

"Your body," Gilbert said matter-of-factly. "If he doesn't, I'll beat the gay into him!" I couldn't help but laugh, but I still couldn't stop the tears gathering in my eyes. "Look, he like's you for you, he'll get past that, even if he doesn't like it. Okay? I promise you, everything will be okay." Suddenly he smirked. "And even if you two don't _get it on_, you still make a cute couple." I sighed. This man, talking about his own brother and I like that is my best friend in the whole world. He has been since I was small and I pray that he always will be, because I don't know what I would do if I lost him. I leaned heavily on him, wrapping my arms around him, and squeezed him; he used the same strength to hold me tighter. We sat like that quietly for a long moment before Gilbert blurted out, "Betcha I can get him to burn the whole damn box!"

"What?" I let go of him and just looked at him, totally confused.

"You heard me, tonight, I'll get him to burn them, I'll show you. you gotta go along with it, when I come in here tonight, pretend you're asleep, then look out the back window, 'kay?"

"Um...Alright?"

"Good! Now get changed, Ludwig's waiting for you, I'll clean this up, okay?" He kissed my forehead and I nodded, he was always so good to me. I went over to Ludwig's bed and quickly changed so I was wearing only the plain button-down shirt I pulled from Ludwig's closet earlier and my boxers. The shirt was big enough to cover most of them though, like I thought. I turned to Gilbert who was done packing up the box and now lifting it. He turned toward the door, glancing at me. "I'm gonna put this in my roo-holy shit!" He laughed. "You look really cute like that!"

I smiled sweetly and giggled. "That's the point!"

"Oh, you know Ludwig so well. Check the hall, I need to put this in my room. I'll call 'em up when I do."

* * *

"M-Matt? Wh-what're you wearing?"

I looked at Ludwig, tilting my head ever so slightly, and gave him a questioning look, not playing up the 'cute act' as much as I could, but I still was. "Whattaya mean? I took one of your shirts. It's so cozy!" I wrapped my arms around myself with a big smile. But then I yawned, letting out a little squeak at the end. No, I didn't do that on purpose, my yawns are normally that cute. "Mmm...I'm tired..." I took Ludwig's hand and pulled him to bed. "Let's go to sleep, okay?" We snuggled under the blankets and I cuddled against his side, resting my arm on his chest and hooking a leg around his. He tensed up a moment before relaxing; he's been getting used to being so close to me, and it really makes me happy. He slipped an arm beneath my neck and held me close, letting my head rest on his strong chest. "Hmm...Good night Ludwig."

"Good night...Matthew..."

* * *

"Oi, bruder, wecken!" Gilbert hissed, kneeling next to Ludwig, shaking his shoulder.

I flinched, sitting up quickly, my heart racing having been woken up so suddenly. I hadn't meant to fall asleep, but Ludwig was just so warm and cozy!

"Oh! Entschuldigen Sie...Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, Mattie." Gilbert ruffled my hair as Ludwig sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"What do you want at..." He looked at his alarm clock and growled, "Two in the morning..."

"I need your help. Grab a tank of gasoline out of the garage and bring it out back, and lemme borrow a matchbook, I'm out."

Ludwig stared at him for the longest moment. "_What?_"

"You heard me! Hurry and get your fat German butt outside. I promise this isn't illegal." And he ran out of the room.

Ludwig and I sat still, staring after him. "Uh...I'll go see what he wants, why don't you stay in bed." I nodded and he got out of bed, pulling pants on and left the room. I sat still a moment, waiting as I heard Ludwig's foot-steps going down the stairs. When I finally looked out the window, Gilbert and Ludwig were already outside, Gilbert carrying a large box and Ludwig holding a large, red tank of gasoline by his side. Slowly, I opened the window so I could hear what they were saying.

"-is it that we're burning anyway?" Ludwig asked. Gilbert dropped the box in the middle of the patio and it popped open, a couple magazines jumping out. "Wh-What? Where did you get this?"

"Your closet."

"Wh-Why were you-?"

"Doesn't matter. Look, you gonna help me burn these or what?"

"B-But I-"

"Look, you have a boyfriend now, what do you need these things?"

"W-we haven't d-done that sort of thing..."

"Then why don't you?"

"I-..." He was silent, looking down at his feet.

"Come on," Gilbert grabbed his brother's face between his hands and forced him to look up. "Listen to me. What will you do if Matthew _wants_ to do 'that sort of thing' with you? Hm? It's obvious that you like curvy, busty women from _that. _Matthew is a thin _man_ with absolutely no curves and deffinately no boobs. What are you going to do when Matt wants to get _intimate_?" Ludwig listened quietly, not saying a word. "How do you think Matt would feel if he saw these?" Gilbert said, his voice lower.

Ludwig seemed to snap. He wrenched Gilbert's hands away from his face, grabbed the container of gasoline and poured the whole thing over the box before tossing it to the side. He stood still, letting it seap into the pages. "Listen to me now. I _love _Matthew. I will do _anything _for him, anything he wants." He struck a match and held it. "I'm not going to hurt him." I saw the muscle in his jaw tensing as he dropped the match and watched the box as it was quickly enveloped in flames.

Gilbert glanced up at me through white lashes, a smirk clear on his face. He mouthed out the words, "Told ya'." I nodded, a sweet smile on my face. I watched as Ludwig and Gilbert both stared at the flames, their eyes grabbing my attention, reflecting the bright, orange whisps. Ludwig's crystal blue and Gilbert's blood red. Only when the flames started to die down did I go back to bed, curling up under the blanket to wait for Ludwig to come back to bed. I pretended to be asleep when I finally heard his footsteps coming up the stairs. He stepped heavily and tiredly into the room, let his pants drop to the floor and from the sound of it, he just left them there (very unlike him) and crawled into bed with me. He curled up, spooning my back, and kissed the back of my head, burying his nose in my hair. I heard his gruff voice and felt his breath as he muttered, "I love you, Matthew." With those last words, I quickly fell asleep with a smile on my face.

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**HOLY CRAP! An update? Oh mah God! Yeah, I forget the name of the strip, but it was the one on the island, when Santa!Finland dropped presents for everyone for CHRISTMASSSSS! And what did Germany get? A big box of porno mags/erotic books. Yup, that's where this crap came from. YOU'RE WELCOME!**

**Happy (early) Holidays**


	14. ANNOUNCEMENT! :D

**Uh, seriously, this fic has turned into a bunch of random crap, but that's okay, because some people like Random crap. I like Random Crap. But, I know when this fic is going to end, I know what I'm going to write now. See, I can always, _always_ come up with a begining, and an ending, but never something to tie it all up in a nice pretty bow. That last chapter, that was the bow tying up the two parts I already had. So, if all goes well, [and I can actually get access to a computer] I should be able to finish this without taking...yeah, it'll still take a while, but hopefully not as long. **

**Those of you that have waited patiently or even impatiently for me to update, I thank you all. And if you're just now catching up, I still thank you for taking your precious time to read my crap.**

**I'm making this update, because I can't wait any longer to say [to the few who actually have me on Alert] that 'Would you like Maple Syrup on that?' is going to have a sequel! One with an actual plot! ... sort of ... almost ... I already have a title [not gonna tell you just yet] and started planning it out, but i'll warn you, while it still has cute and cuddly Matthew, and awkward and cute Ludwig as the main couple, the focus will shift a bit. And it will take a bit of a ... dark turn ... I'm sorry D:!**

**So, that's all I wanted to say! Also, No one should think that I've forgotten about this, I never forget. I still frequently have dreams about this! GerCan is so cute...**

**Er-Peace out!**

**12/17/10**


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